An Awful Lot of Running to Do
by Web of Obsidian
Summary: One decision can change the course of history. The Doctor stays for Jenny's funeral on Messaline, and is present for her revival. At her father's side she begins to travel, but just like anybody else, she discovers there is far more to travel in the TARDIS than what meets the eye.
1. The Doctor's Daughter

_It's completely terrifying, but it's oh so exciting / he said I was brilliant and I could change the world / So many places I've been, there's so much more to see / We've got galaxies and planets and moons / And an awful lot of running to do! _

_~An Awful Lot of Running to Do, Chameleon Circuit_

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"Let us give her a proper ceremony," the human, Clive, asked. "I think it would help us. Please."

Too lost in his dark thoughts to speak, he just held Jenny's body close to him and nodded.

_It's just a bullet, come on, regenerate!_

_Oh, Jenny, you sweet little girl..._

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He hadn't been planning to stay for the funeral. He really hadn't. It hurt so much, to think that the hole in his hearts might finally be filled, that he might have someone who wouldn't leave him again, and then to have that chance ripped away from him.

Donna had caught him as he was meandering back to the TARDIS, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"Oi! You're gonna stay for the funeral, right?" He turned to face her, and his silence was answer enough. "You _weren't_, were you? Oh no. No, we are staying her for her funeral, okay?" she said forcefully. The Doctor blinked. "She died for you, and you are going to thank her properly, you hear me?"

Which is why he now found himself standing against a wall with Donna and Martha while Clive and a Hath pulled a pure white sheet over Jenny's still body. She would be buried on the first field of Messaline to grow grass. A single tear trickled down his face, and Donna and Martha pointedly ignored this.

Then they all felt hope rising in their chests as a wisp of golden stardust was exhaled from Jenny's mouth. The Doctor rushed forwards and gathered her in a hug, sobbing and laughing at the same time.

"Dad..." she choked out, smiling with tears in her eyes as well. "Can't breathe!" He immediately let go of her.

"Yeah, wouldn't want you to regenerate, just to be suffocated, would we?" he said, trying to regain some of his old humor. Donna and Martha came over and joined them in a group hug, while the Hath and Human stood there in shock.

The Hath made a bubbling noise and motioned to the scene, obviously wondering what was happening. The human shrugged.

"I don't know."

Jenny grinned up at her dad and friends with a gleam in her eyes only ever seen in the Doctor's.

"So, where to, Dad?" He laughed and trapped her in a hug again.

"Everywhere."

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The four stood outside the TARDIS on the road to Martha's house, with Jenny and the Doctor nearly bouncing in their excitement. Martha and Donna stood a little ways away, talking to each other while father and daughter held their own conversation.

"It's brilliant, Jen, it really is," the Doctor said, throwing an arm over her shoulders. He seemed to have a permanent grin plastered on his face. "You're going to see so many things, so many planets! Earth history, so much there, I'll take you to meet George Washington sometime, he's actually quite a nice fellow! Oh, and Agatha Christie, you'll love her books, they're brilliant, really make you think." Jenny grinned, she couldn't wait to start traveling. She was with her dad now, and that was how it was supposed to be.

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**I know it's ridiculously short, but it's a prologue. The next chapter is something like ten thousand words and twenty eight pages, and takes place a week or two after the prologue. In that time, the Doctor and Donna are teaching Jenny and basically lounging about on the TARDIS. It would basically be a filler chapter if I bothered to write it, so I decided not to and wrote **_**The Unicorn and the Wasp**_** instead.**

**I have all of Series Four typed, and I'm working on the specials, so there shouldn't be a problem with updates. I just wanted to warn you, though, there's always a possibility where you might not get a chapter for a while. Next chapter'll be up on the 30th. Let me know what you think!**


	2. The Unicorn and the Wasp

The Doctor walked out of the TARDIS, followed by Donna and Jenny. They had landed on the lawn of an old English manor. Jenny pushed past the two of them, then a bright smile lit up her whole face.

"It's a planet!" she said, looking around in awe. "Oh, it's a real planet! With grass! And trees! And look at the sky, it's _blue_!" Donna laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Oh, smell that air," the Doctor said. "Grass and lemonade and a little bit of mint. Just a hint of mint, must be the 1920's."

"You can tell what year it is just by smelling?" Donna asked.

"Oh, yeah," the Doctor replied.

"Um... Dad?"

"Yeah, Jen?"

"You sure it wasn't the car coming up the road?" She pointed to it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the Doctor replied, looking innocent.

"Come on," Jenny said, chuckling. They peered around the side of the house and watched as a man got out of the car.

"Good afternoon, Professor Peach," a butler greeted the man as he got out of the car.

"Are we in Clue?" Donna asked.

"What's Clue?" Jenny wondered, confused.

"Shhh," the Doctor scolded them.

"Hello, Greeves old man," Peach replied. They turned at the sound of a bell.

"Ah, Reverend," he called out to the rider.

"Professor Peach!" the priest greeted him. "Beautiful day." He got off the bike and walked over. "Lord's in His Heaven, all right's with the world," he said.

"Reverend Golightly," Greeves greeted. "The Lady Eddison requests that you make yourselves comfortable in your rooms. Cocktails will be served on the lawn from half-past four."

"You go on up." Peach told Golightly. "I need to check something in the library."

"Oh?" Golightly asked.

"Alone," Peach replied.

"It's supposed to be a party," Golightly told him. "All this work will be the death of you." He looked at the professor pointedly before entering the house.

"Never mind Planet Zog," Donna said. "A party in the 1920's-that's more like it!"

"What's Planet Zog?" Jenny asked.

"Never mind," the Doctor said. "The problem is, we haven't been invited." Jenny slipped the psychic paper out of his pocket and waved it in his face. "Oh, I forgot. We have." They all grinned.

"Dad, um, we can't really go out there dressed like this."

"Why not?" She rolled her eyes.

"I may have come from a machine, but with the lessons you've been giving me about Earth, I know that most of those people would be scandalized if we walked out there like this."

"Costume change!" Donna said.

The Doctor groaned.

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The Doctor stood outside the TARDIS. Impatient, he banged on the door.

"We'll be late for cocktails!" he called. The door opened and Donna stepped out in a dark brown dress covered in sequins.

"What do you think?" she asked. "Flapper or slapper?"

"Flapper," The Doctor told her, smiling. "You look lovely. Where's Jen?"

"I'm comin' Dad," Jenny called. She stepped out of the TARDIS, tugging the hem of her dress self-consciously. It was a light blue dress the went just below her knees, sleeveless, with the slightest v-neck. Her hair was out of it's ponytail, and she had sapphire earrings and a matching necklace. Her shoes were heels the same color as her dress. The Doctor stared.

"Is this wrong for the time period?" she asked, noticing their stares.

"No, it's just-just-"

"You look gorgeous," Donna said, covering up the Doctor's speechlessness.

"Let's go then!" Jenny said with a grin. He held out his arms, and both women put their arms through his as they walked off.

"Oh, Jen?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Don't call me 'Dad' here, okay?"

"Why not?"

"I don't look old enough to be your dad."

"Oh. Then what do I call you?"

"I dunno. John Smith? Doctor?"

"Doctor Smith?" Donna suggested.

"I'll just call you Doctor for now. This'll be awkward." On the lawn, tables were set up, and servants were setting up the last of the food and drinks. A record was playing in the background.

"Look sharp!" the housekeeper called. "We have guests." The Doctor walked up, Jenny on one side and Donna on the other. "Good afternoon!" he called. A footman came over to take their drink orders.

"Drink, sir?" he asked. "Madames?"

"Sidecar, please," Donna ordered.

"Just water, thanks," Jenny said.

"And a lime and soda, thank you," the Doctor added.

"May I introduce Lady Clemency Eddison!" Greeves called. A petite woman came forward and the Doctor greeted her like he had known her for years.

"Lady Eddison!" he called, taking her hand.

"Excuse me, but who exactly might you be…and what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm the Doctor and this is Miss Donna Noble…of the Chiswick Nobles," he answered, motioning to Donna.

"Good afternoon, my lady," Donna said in a 'posh' voice. "Topping day, what? Spiffing! Top hole!"

"No, no, no, no, no," the Doctor whispered. "Don't do that. Don't." Jenny held back a giggle.

"I'm Lady Jenny Smith," she interjected, calling the attention away from Donna. "This is my brother," she improvised, motioning to her dad, "Doctor John Smith."

"We were thrilled to receive your invitation, my lady," the Doctor said, glancing at Jenny. "We met at the ambassador's reception."

"Doctor, how could I forget you?" Lady Eddison covered. "But one must be sure with the Unicorn on the loose."

"A unicorn?" the Doctor asked. "Brilliant. Where?" Jenny closed her eyes in exasperation.

"No, the Unicorn," Lady Eddison specified. "The jewel thief? And nobody knows who he is. He's just struck again. Snatched Lady Bannington's pearls right from under her nose." The footman came back and handed them their drinks.

"Honestly, brother," Jenny said, glaring at her dad. "Don't mind him. He really is brilliant, but he got a disease back when he was a kid and he's never been the same since." She fought to keep a smile off her face as she saw her father's expression.

"May I announce the Colonel Hugh Curbishley, the Honorable Roger Cubishley!" Greeves called. A young man appeared, pushing an older man, presumably his father, in a wheelchair. He walked over to them.

"My husband," Lady Eddison told them, "and my son."

"Forgive me for not rising." Colonel Curbishley said. "Never been the same since the flu epidemic back in '18."

"I'm the Doctor," he introduced himself, shaking Roger's hand.

"How do you do?" the younger man replied.

"Very well, thanks," the Doctor replied. The footman came back with a drink on a tray.

"Your usual, sir," he told Roger.

"Ah, thank you, Davenport," Roger replied, looking at him as he sipped the drink. "Just how I like it."

"How come she's an Eddison, but her husband and son are Curbishleys?" Jenny asked her dad.

"The Eddison title descends through her," he answered. "One day, Roger will be a lord. Did you really have to say I was your brother? And that I'm not quite right in the head?" She shrugged.

"First thing that came to mind," she said guiltily.

"Miss Robina Redmond!" Greeves called. A young woman in a red and black dress arrived.

"She's the absolute hit of the social season," Lady Eddison told them. "A must. Miss Redmond!" she called as the woman came closer.

"Spiffing to meet you at last, my lady," Robina told her, shaking her hand.

"Reverend Arnold Golightly!" Greeves called.

"Ah, Reverend!" Lady Eddison called as he too, walked over. She took his hand and walked back to the group. "How are you? I heard about the church last Thursday night, those ruffians breaking in."

"You apprehended them, I hear," Curbishley said.

"As the Christian fathers taught me, we must forgive them their trespasses," Golightly said. "Quite literally."

"Some of these young boys deserve a decent thrashing," Roger said.

"Couldn't agree more, sir," Davenport said, taking the empty glass from Roger's hand and giving him a new one. Roger cleared his throat.

"Typical," Donna muttered. "All the decent men are on the other bus."

"Now, my lady," Golightly said, "what about this special guest you promised us?"

"Here she is," Lady Eddison answered as a young woman walked towards them. "A lady who needs no introduction." Everyone applauded as the woman walked across the lawn, looking slightly uncomfortable and embarrassed at the attention.

"Oh, no," she told them. "Please don't. Thank you, Lady Eddison, honestly, there's no need." She walked over to the Doctor, Jenny, and Donna.

"Agatha Christie," she said, shaking Donna's hand.

"What about her?" Donna asked.

"That's me," the woman replied.

"No!" Donna exclaimed. "You're kidding!"

"Agatha Christie!" Jenny exclaimed in a whisper, turning to her dad. "I love her books! Is that why you brought us here?" The Doctor gave her a smug smile. "Oh, I love you, Dad." She turned to the famous author.

"Jenny Smith!" she said shaking her hand. "I love your books, read them all. Such a huge fan!" Agatha smiled at her.

"Why, thank you dear. You look lovely today." Jenny blushed slightly.

"Agatha Christie!" the Doctor said with a smile. "I was just talking about you the other day. I said 'I bet she's brilliant'. I'm the Doctor, and that's Donna, and Jenny's already introduced herself. Oh, I love your stuff! What a mind! You fool me every time. Well…almost every time. Well…once or twice. Well…once. But it was a good once." Jenny put a hand over his mouth.

"Sorry about my brother. He really is brilliant, but sometimes he gets away from himself. Got really sick when he was just a kid, I wasn't even born yet. Never been quite right up here if you take my meaning." The Doctor narrowed his eyes at her. She quickly removed her hand from his mouth

"You two are siblings? Oh, yes, I see the resemblance now."

"You do?" The Doctor looked slightly surprised at that.

"Yes. I did think you were a couple at first, but there are no weddings rings."

"Oh, you don't miss a thing." The Doctor looked slightly repulsed by the fact that someone thought he was married to his daughter.

"Mrs. Christie." Lady Eddison interrupted. "I'm so glad you could come. I'm one of your greatest followers. I've read all six of your books." She looked behind Agatha.

"Uh, is, um, Mr. Christie not joining us?" she asked.

"Is he needed?" Agatha countered. "Can't a woman make her own way in the world?"

"Don't give my wife ideas," Curbishley told her.

"Mrs. Christie, I have a question," Roger called. "Why a Belgian detective?"

"Excuse me, Colonel," the Doctor said, taking the paper off his lap. He walked off and Jenny followed him.

"Belgians make such lovely buns," Agatha replied, making everyone laugh.

"Where on Earth's Professor Peach?" Roger asked. "He'd love to meet Mrs. Christie."

"Said he was going to the library," Golightly said. The Doctor motioned for Donna to join him and Jenny.

"Miss Chandrakala, would you go and collect the professor?" Lady Eddison asked.

"At once, m'lady," the housekeeper replied. She turned around and walked into the house.

"The date on this newspaper," the Doctor said quietly.

"No way," Jenny said, staring at it in shock.

"What about it?" Donna asked.

"It's the day Agatha Christie disappeared," The Doctor told her.

"Dad, we're gonna be the only people to know why Agatha Christie disappeared!" Jenny was practically bouncing with excitement.

"I don't understand," Donna said.

"She just discovered her husband was having an affair." The Doctor explained.

"You'd never think, to look at her smiling away," Donna said.

"Well, she's British and moneyed," the Doctor said. "That's what they do – they carry on. Except for this one time. No one knows exactly what happened-she just vanished."

"Tomorrow, her car will be found by the side of a lake." Jenny continued. "Ten days later, she shows up in a hotel in Harrogate. No clue how she got there, or what happened. And she never talked about it again till the day she died. It remains one of the world's greatest mysteries."

"It's about to happen," Donna whispered.

"Right here, right now," The Doctor replied. They watched as Agatha talked and laughed. Suddenly, everyone was distracted by Miss Chandrakala running out of the house, screaming.

"The professor!" she cried. "The library! Murder! Murder!"

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Jenny got to the libary first, her dad right behind her, followed shortly by Donna and Agatha. The Doctor ran to the body as Greeves entered.

"Oh, my goodness," he breathed.

"Bashed on the back of the head," the Doctor said, inspecting the wound. "Blunt instrument. Watch broke when he fell. Time of death was... quarter past four." He got up and went over to the desk, where Jenny was shuffling through some papers.

"Bit of pipe." Donna said, examining the instrument on the floor. "Call me Hercule Poiort but I reckon that's blunt enough." Agatha knelt down and quickly removed a scrap from the fireplace.

"Nothing worth killing for in that lot, dry as dust," the Doctor said as he and Jenny left the desk.

"Hold on, the body in the library?" Donna said softly. "I mean, Professor Peach, in the library, with a lead piping? We are in Clue!"

"Again, what is Clue?" Jenny asked.

"Shh!" the Doctor told them again.

"Let me see!" Lady Eddison called from the hallway.

"Out of my way!" Hugh said.

"Gerald!" Lady Eddison cried, as she entered the room and saw the body. The others got there and stared in shock.

"Saints preserve us," Golightly whispered, crossing himself.

"Oh, how awful," Robina said.

"Someone should call the police," Agatha said.

"You don't have to," the Doctor said, whipping out the psychic paper and showing it to the room. "Chief Inspector Smith from Scotland Yard, known as the Doctor. Miss Noble and Lady Smith are the plucky young girls who help me out."

"I say," Lady Eddison marveled.

"Mrs. Christie was right," he continued. "Go into the sitting room. I will question each of you in turn."

"Come along," Agatha said, ushering the others out. "Do as the Doctor says. Keep the room undisturbed." Everyone left, leaving the time traveling trio alone. As soon as the door shut, he received a slap and a punch to the arm from Donna and Jenny respectively.

"OW!" he yelled. "What was that for?"

"'The plucky young girls who help me out'?" Donna quoted. The Doctor lay down on the floor, examining it for clues.

"There were no policewomen in 1926," He told them. Jenny squatted next to him.

"Was this revenge for the whole 'crazy brother' thing?" she asked him.

"Maybe," he said with a grin.

"Why don't we phone the real police?" Donna asked.

"The last thing we want is PC Plod sticking his nose in." the Doctor replied. "Especially…" He removed something from a crack in the floor with a pencil. "Now I've found this." He stood up. "Morphic residue."

"What's that?"

"Morphic?" Donna questioned. "Doesn't sound very 1926."

"Gets left behind when certain species genetically re-encode." The Doctor explained.

"The murderer's an alien?" Donna asked.

"Which means that one of that lot is an alien in human form." The Doctor replied.

"Yeah, but think about it." Donna said. "There's a murder, mystery, and Agatha Christie."

"So?" the Doctor replied, sniffing the residue. "Happens to me all the time."

"You do not meet Agatha Christie all the time," Jenny said.

"You know what I meant!" He put the residue in his pocket.

"No, but isn't that a bit weird?" Donna asked. "Agatha Christie didn't walk around surrounded by murders. Not really. That's like meeting Charles Dickens and he's surrounded by ghosts. At Christmas."

"Well-" the Doctor started.

"Oh come on," Donna protested. "It's not like we could drive across country and find Enid Blyton having tea with Noddy. Could we? Noddy's not real, is he? Tell me there's no Noddy."

"There's no Noddy." The Doctor said, as he walked out the door.

"What's Noddy?" Jenny asked.

"Next thing you'll be telling me it's like Murder on the Orient Express and they all did it." Donna said as she and Jenny followed him out.

"Murder on the Orient Express?" Agatha asked from where she was standing just outside the door.

"Oh yeah," Donna said. "One of your best."

"But not yet," the Doctor whispered.

"Marvelous idea, though," Agatha said.

"Yeah, tell you what-Copyright: Donna Noble, yeah?" she told the writer.

"Donna!" the Doctor scolded.

"Anyway, Jenny and I will go with Agatha to question the suspects," the Doctor said. "Donna, you search the bedrooms, look for clues."

"Any more residue," he added in a whisper so Agatha wouldn't hear and pulled a large magnifying glass from his pocket, "you'll need this."

"Is that for real?" Donna asked.

"Go on," the Doctor told her, grinning at her. "You're ever so plucky." Donna walked off. He turned to Agatha.

"Right then," he said. "Solving a murder mystery with Agatha Christie. Brilliant!"

"How like a man to have fun while there's disaster all around him," she told him.

"We're very into our work. And he also finds it ironic that what you write about seems to be happening here and now," Jenny said.

"Sorry," the Doctor said. "Yeah."

"I'll work with you – gladly," she told him, "but for the sake of justice, not your own amusement." She turned and walked away.

"Oh," the Doctor said, following her. Jenny hurried along behind.

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The Reverend sat in a chair, facing Jenny, the Doctor and Agatha.

"Now then, Reverend…" the Doctor said. "Where were you at quarter past four?"

"Let me think," he replied. "Why yes, I remember…I was unpacking my room."

"No alibi then?" the Doctor asked.

"You were alone?" Agatha added.

"With the Lord, one is never truly alone, Doctor," Golightly replied.

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"And where were you?" Jenny asked. Roger now sat in the chair.

"Let me think," Roger replied. "I was, uh…Oh yes, I was taking a constitutional in the fields behind the house."

"Alone?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh yes, all alone," Roger answered. "Totally alone. Absolutely alone. Completely. All of the time. I wandered, lonely, as the proverbial cloud. There was no one else with me. Not at all. Not ever."

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"And where were you?" the Doctor asked Robina.

"At a quarter past four…"she thought. "Well, I went to the toilet when I arrived, and then, um…Oh yes, I remember. I was preparing myself. Positively buzzing with excitement about the party…and the super fun of meeting Lady Eddy."

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"And where were you, sir?" the Doctor asked.

"Quarter past four?" Hugh asked. "Let me think…Oh yes, I remember…I was sitting in my study, reading through some military memoirs. Fascinating stuff. Took me back to me days in the army. Started reminiscing." He got a blissful look on his face. "Mafeking, you know," he said. "Terrible war."

"Colonel, snap out of it." The Doctor said.

"I was in my study-" he started again.

"No, no, no-" the Doctor said. "Right out of it."

"Oh, sorry." Hugh said. "Got a bit…carried away there."

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"And where were you at a quarter past four, my lady?" the Doctor asked.

"Now let me see…" Lady Eddison said. "Yes, I remember…I was sitting in the blue room taking my afternoon tea. It's a ritual of mine. I needed to gather strength for the duty of hostess. I then proceeded to the lawn, where I met…you and Jenny, Doctor…and I said 'And who might you be and what are you doing here?' and you said, 'I'm the Doctor and this is Miss Donna Noble…" Jenny held back a groan.

"Yes, yes," the Doctor said. "You can stop now. I was there for that bit."

"Of course." said Lady Eddison. She belched. "Excuse me," she said.

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The Doctor and Agatha paced in front of the fireplace. Jenny sat in a chair, deep in thought.

"No alibis for any of them," Agatha said. "The secret adversary remains hidden. We must look for a motive." She changed to a Belgian accent. "Use the little grey cells," she said, tapping her head.

"Oh yes, little grey cells." The Doctor said. "Good old Poirot." He sat down in the chair. "Y'know, I've been to Belgium," he said. "Yeah, I remember…I was deep in the Ardennes trying to find Charlemagne…he'd been kidnapped by an insane computer."

"Doctor!" Agatha called. "Doctor!"

"Doctor!" Jenny said, snapping her fingers in front of his face.

"Sorry," he said.

"Charlemagne lived centuries ago," Agatha pointed out.

"I've got a good memory," he told her. Jenny rolled her eyes.

"For such an experienced detective, you missed a big clue," she told him.

"What, that bit of paper I saw you nip out of the fireplace?" Jenny said.

"You were looking the other way!" she told her at the same time the Doctor said, "How'd you know about that?"

"Yeah, but I saw you reflected in the glass of the bookcase," she replied.

"You crafty woman," she told her. Jenny grinned, bouncing at the praise.

"This is all that was left," Agatha said, handing them the scrap.

"What's that first letter?" he asked, studying it. "N or M?"

"It's an M," Agatha told him. "The word is 'maiden'."

"Maiden!" he exclaimed. He lowered his voice again. "What does that mean?" Agatha and Jenny sighed.

"We're still no further forward," she said. "Our nemesis remains at large. Unless Miss Noble has found something." Jenny nodded, then froze as they heard Donna calling for the Doctor.

"Doctor!" she yelled. Jenny tore down the hallways with her dad on her heels to see Donna slam the door behind her and a large stinger come breaking through the wood like some twisted javelin. "Doctor! There is a giant…wasp!" Donna told him.

"What do you mean, giant wasp?" the Doctor asked.

"I mean a wasp that's giant!" she yelled.

"It's only an insect," Jenny said.

"When I say 'giant', I don't mean big," Donna told her. "I mean flippin' enormous! Look at its sting!"

"Let me see!" the Doctor said, running into the room. "It's gone. Buzzed off."

"But that's fascinating." Agatha said, leaning down to examine the stinger that was now imbedded in the door. Jenny knelt down next to her.

"I wouldn't touch it if I were you. Probably poisonous."

"Let me," the Doctor said. He took out a vial and collected a sample. "Giant wasp…" he said. "Well, there are tons of amorphous insectivorous lifeforms, but…none in this galactic vector."

"Great," Jenny said.

"I think I understood some of those words," Agatha said. "Enough to know that you're completely potty." The other three ignored her.

"Lost its sting, though," Donna said. "That makes it defenseless."

"I think something that size would be able to re-grow it." Jenny said.

"Uh, can we return to sanity?" Agatha asked. "There are no such things as giant wasps."

"Exactly!" the Doctor said. "So…the question is…"

"What's it doing here?" Jenny finished.

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Donna and Agatha followed the Doctor and Jenny down the stairs. Suddenly, they heard a scream and took off at a run.

"Love the running!" Jenny said. She got outside first, even though she was wearing heels. Chandrakala was lying in the driveway with a stone gargoyle on top of her.

"The poor, little…child," she whispered softly. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she was still. They heard a buzzing and the Doctor looked up.

"There!" he said pointing at the wasp. "Come on!" They turned and ran back in to the house.

"Well, this makes a change," Donna said as they ran up the stairs. "There's a monster, and we're chasing it!"

"I really don't care, I just like to run," Jenny repeated. "Just remind me never to wear heels again. Rubbish for chasing things." Donna chuckled.

"Can't be a monster," Agatha protested. "It's a trick. They do it with mirrors." They reached the top of the stairs, but stopped when they spotted the wasp buzzing in front of them.

"By all that's holy…" Agatha breathed.

"Oh, but you are wonderful!" the Doctor said as the wasp looked at them. "Now just stop there." It swooped down to sting them, and they ducked as it passed.

"Oi!" Donna yelled. "Flyboy!" She held up the magnifying glass. It quickly turned and fled in the other direction.

"Don't let it get away!" the Doctor shouted. "Quick, before it reverts to human form!" They continued chasing it, but stopped when they came to the hallway where all the bedrooms were. It was empty.

"Where are you?" the Doctor yelled. "Come on! There's nowhere to run! Show yourself!" All the doors opened, and all the guests poked their heads out the doors and stared at them.

"Oh, now that's just cheating," Jenny said.

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Everyone sat down in the sitting room.

"My faithful companion!" Lady Eddison wailed. "This is terrible!"

"Excuse me, my lady," Davenport said. "She was on her way to tell you something."

"She never found me," Lady Eddison replied. "She had an appointment with death instead."

"She said, 'the poor little child'," Jenny mused. "Does that mean anything to anyone?"

"No children in this house for years," Hugh answered. He looked at his son. "Highly unlikely there will be."

"Mrs. Christie, you must have twigged something," Lady Eddison said. "You've written simply the best detective stories."

"Tell us…" Golightly said. "What would Poirot do?"

"Heavens' sake!" Hugh exclaimed. "Cards on the table, woman! You should be helping us!"

"But – I'm merely a writer," Agatha protested.

"But surely you can crack it," Robina said. "These events- they're exactly like one of your plots."

"That's what I've been saying," Donna said. "Agatha, that's got to mean something."

"Oi!" Jenny said. "Back off everyone! Just because you can create a mystery doesn't mean you can solve a mystery. It's two different things."

"I've no answers," Agatha said. "None. I'm sorry, all of you, I'm truly sorry, but I've failed. If anyone can help us, it's the Doctor, not me." She quickly left the room. Everyone turned to look at the Doctor.

"And don't even think about mobbing him with questions," Jenny added. The Doctor sighed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Donna went looking for Agatha, and found her in the gazebos outside.

"Do you know what I think?" she asked, sitting down next to her. "Those books of yours, one day they could turn them into films. They could be talking pictures."

"Talking pictures?" Agatha asked. "Pictures that…talk? What do you mean?"

"Oh blimey, I've done it again," Donna muttered.

"I appreciate you trying to be kind, but you're right-these murders are like my own creations," Agatha told her. "It's as though someone's mocking me. I've had enough scorn for one lifetime."

"Yeah," Donna said. "Thing is, I had this bloke once, I was engaged, and I loved him, I really did. Turns out he was lying through his teeth. But you know what? I moved on. I was lucky. I found the Doctor. It changed my life. There's always someone else."

"I see." Agatha said. "Is my marriage the stuff of gossip now?"

"No, I just- Sorry," Donna replied. Agatha sighed.

"No matter," she said. "The stories are true. I found my husband with another woman. A younger, prettier woman. Isn't that always the way?"

"Well, mine was with a giant spider but same difference," Donna told her.

"You and Jenny and the Doctor talk such wonderful nonsense," Agatha said, laughing.

"Agatha, people love your books, they really do," Donna told her. "They're gonna be reading them for years to come."

"Hello," Agatha said, looking at something in the distance. "What's that?" She walked over to the flowerbeds. "Those flowerbeds were perfectly neat earlier." "Now some of the stalks are bent over." She picked up a small leather box.

"There you go," Donna said with a smile. "Who'd ever notice that? You're brilliant."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Donna and Agatha made their way back to the sitting room to show the Doctor and Jenny their prize. They walked in to the middle of an argument.

"-disgusting!" the Doctor was saying.

"Says the man who licks things to find out what they are and when they were made," Jenny retorted.

"That's different!" he protested.

"How? Licking things is disgusting. Eating pears is in no way disgusting at all."

"With my DNA, how on Earth could you even contemplate being in the same room as one of those horrid things?" he asked, incredolous.

"The Unicorn!" Agatha interrupted. "He's here!" They turned to look at her.

"There's a unicorn?" Jenny held a hand over her face, shaking her head slowly.

"D- Brother! Snap out of it!" He shook his head and looked at her. "The Unicorn is here," she said slowly.

"He is? Why didn't you say so?"

"We did," she deadpanned. He opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it, closed it, repeated the process a few times, then murmured:

"The Unicorn and the Wasp." Greeves entered the room with a tray full of drinks.

"Your drinks, ladies, Doctor," he said, setting it down on the table.

"Very good, Greeves," the Doctor said. They all took their drinks as Greeves left.

"What about the science stuff?" Donna asked. "What did you find?"

"Vespiform sting," the Doctor said. "Vespiforms have got hives in the Silifax Galaxy."

"Again, you talk like Edward Lear," Agatha told him.

"But this one is acting like characters from your stories," Jenny said.

"Come on, Agatha," Donna said. "What would Miss Marple do? She'd have overheard something vital by now because the murderer thinks she's just a harmless old lady."

"Clever idea," Agatha agreed. "Miss Marple – who writes those?"

"Um, copyright: Donna Noble," Donna said. "Add it to the list."

"Donna," Jenny said.

"Ok, we could split the copyright," she conceded.

"Somethings not right." She moved over to her dad, who had gone very still and was staring at his drink. "D-Brother, what's wrong?"

"Something's inhibiting my enzymes," he whispered. He suddenly yelled as he involuntarily jerked forward. Jenny steadied him.

"I've been poisoned!" he said as his body convulsed.

"What do we do?" Donna asked frantically. "What do we do?" Agatha picked up the glass and sniffed it.

"Bitter almonds!" she said. "It's cyanide! Sparkling cyanide!" Jenny's eyes widened. In a flash, the Doctor was up and staggering to the kitchen. Jenny, unsure of what to do, but sticking by here dad's side to the end, was helping him along. They were quickly followed by Donna and Agatha.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Father and daughter staggered into the kitchen. The Doctor grabbed Davenport by his coat.

"Ginger beer," the Doctor demanded.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked.

"I need ginger beer," he said, running to the shelves.

"The gentleman's gone mad!" a maid said. The Doctor found the ginger beer and drank half of it before dumping the rest on his head.

"I'm an expert in poisons, Doctor," Agatha told him. "It's fatal! There's no cure!"

"If I know him, there will be," Jenny said. "Come on, what do you need. Don't let me have jumped in front of that bullet for nothing."

"I can stimulate the inhibited enzymes into reversal," the Doctor said. "Protein! I need protein!"

"Here." Donna handed him some walnuts. He shoved them in his mouth and attempted to continue talking.

"We can't understand you," Donna told him.

"How many words?" Jenny asked. He held up a finger.

"One word," Jenny said.

"Shake?" Donna asked. "Milk? Shake? Milk? Milk!" The Doctor shook his head. "No, not milk," she said. "Shake, shake, shake-cocktail shaker! What do you want, a Harvey Wallbanger?" The Doctor stared at her in exasperation.

"What's a- No, never mind. I can ask later. Um... salt!" Jenny said. He swallowed, nodded, then looked at her.

"Yes, salt!" He looked at Donna. "Harvey Wallbanger? How is Harvey Wallbanger one word?" he demanded.

"Concentrate!" Jenny snapped. "Will this work?"

"What is it?" he asked.

"Salt," she told him.

"That's too salty!" he replied.

"Of course it's too salty!" Jenny said sarcastically.

"What about this?" Agatha asked, handing him a jar.

"Hmm." He grabbed the jar a chugged the contents down.

"What's that?" Donna asked.

"Anchovies." Agatha replied. The Doctor went back to the non-functional sign language, hands up, palms out.

"What is it?" Donna asked. "What else? It's a song. 'Mammy'. I don't know, 'Camptown Races'?" Jenny sighed.

"Camptown Races?" the Doctor said.

"Well, all right then," Donna shot back. "Towering Inferno."

"It's a shock!" the Doctor told her. "Look! Shock! I need a shock!"

"All right, then, big shock coming up," Donna said. Jenny almost choked as she watched Donna kiss her father. Donna was the closest thing she had to a mum, but them together was just... wrong. A second later, the Doctor gasped and threw his head back, a black puff of smoke exploding from his mouth. When it dissipated, he groaned.

"Ah! Detox," he said, wiping his mouth. "I must do that more often." Donna and Jenny stared.

"I mean the – the detox," he stuttered.

"Doctor, you are impossible!" Agatha said. She turned to Donna. "Who are they?" she demanded. Donna started to answer, but stopped when she saw them. Jenny was shaking in the Doctor's arms. The Doctor was stroking her head softly.

"It's alright," he whispered. "It's alright. I'm alright. Everything's alright." He held her close.

"They're the Doctor and Jenny."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was thundering outside as everyone sat at the table, eating their dinner. The Doctor sat between Donna and Jenny. Jenny held his hand; she had refused to let go since the incident.

"A terrible day for all of us," he said. "The professor struck down, Miss Chandrakala cruelly taken from us, and yet, we still take dinner."

"We are British, Doctor," Lady Eddison said. "What else must we do?"

"And then someone tried to poison me…" the Doctor continued. "Any one of you had the chance to put cyanide in my drink. But it rather gave me an idea."

"And what would that be?" Golightly asked.

"Well, poison," he replied. Everyone stopped eating. Jenny looked at her father, frowned, then realization dawned on her face and she continued to eat. "Drink up," he said as everyone stared. "I've laced the soup with pepper."

"Ah, I thought it was jolly spicy," Hugh said.

"But the active ingredient of pepper is piperine," the Doctor said. "Traditionally used as an insecticide." Thunder boomed. "Oh, anyone got the shivers?" he asked. Thunder crashed again and the flickered out. One of the windows burst open and the wind snuffed out the candles.

"What the deuce is that?" Hugh demanded.

"Listen!" the Doctor ordered. "Listen! Listen! Listen!" There was a loud buzzing noise.

"No…" Lady Eddison said. "No, it can't be!"

"Show yourself, demon!" Agatha shouted, standing up.

"Nobody move!" the Doctor ordered. "No, don't! Stay where you are!" The Vespiform showed itself. Greeves quickly pulled Donna out of the room and the Doctor grabbed Agatha's arm as he pulled Jenny out of the room.

"Out!" he shouted. "Out! Out! Out! Out!" The Doctor pulled them into the hallway where Greeves and Donna were standing. "I'll cover you, Agatha," the Doctor said as Jenny ran and grabbed a sword off the wall. "You've got a long, long, life to lead yet." Jenny tossed him the sword, then grabbed another one for herself. "No, Jenny, put the sword back."

"Dad, I was born to this. Quite literally. And I swear that I am never wearing heels again," she added as she nearly tripped over her own shoes.

"Dad?" Agatha asked. The Doctor and Jenny ignored her.

"Fine, take the sword. Not like I could stop you."

"Well, we know the butler didn't do it," Donna said.

"The butler never does it," the Doctor replied.

"Well if it's never the butler," Jenny said. "Then who is it?" The Doctor ran back in to the room with the sword along with the others. When they stepped in, the Vespiform was gone. A second later, the lights came back on.

"My jewelry," Lady Eddison gasped, hands flying to her neck. "The Firestone-it's gone! Stolen!"

"Roger," Davenport whispered sadly. Robina screamed. Lady Eddison got up and walked over to her child.

"My son!" she cried. "My child!" Roger was lying face-down in his soup, a kinfe protruding from his back.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor paced in front of the fireplace. Donna and Agatha sat on the couch, and Jenny was perched on the edge of an armchair, finally taking off her shoes. She looked at the offending heel, as though pondering whether to just tear it off and walk like that, but decided against it and placed the shoes next to the chair.

"That poor footman," Donna said into the silence. "Roger's dead, and he can't even mourn. 1926, more like the Dark Ages."

"Did you inquire after the necklace?" Agatha questioned.

"Lady Eddison brought it back from India," Donna replied. "It's worth thousands."

"It can sting, it can fly. It could wipe us all out in seconds. Why is it playing this game?" The Doctor was obviously on his own train of thought, essentially ignoring everybody else.

"Every murder is essentially the same," Agatha said. "They are committed because somebody wants something."

"What does a Vespiform want?" Jenny asked, pondering.

"Wonderful question Jen, but for once I don't know the answer."

"Doctor, Jenny, stop it. The murderer is as human as you or I!" Agatha still didn't believe them apparently.

"You're right!" the Doctor announced in realization, causing Jenny to jump. He went over to Agatha. "I've been so caught up with giant wasps that I've forgotten. You're the expert!"

"I'm not, I've told you!" Agatha protested. "I'm just a purveyor of nonsense."

"No, no, no, no, no! Because plenty of people write detective stories, but yours are the best! And why? Why are you so good, Agatha Christie? Because you understand!" The Doctor was obviously on a roll, although Jenny didn't have a clue where he was going with it. Donna and Agatha seemed just as lost. "You've lived. You've fought. You've had your heart broken. You know about people, their passions, their hope, and despair and anger. All of those tiny huge things, that can turn the most ordinary person into a killer. Just think, Agatha! If anyone can solve this, its you!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They all gathered in the sitting room, the Doctor standing in front of the group like a mayor about to make a speech.

"I've called you here on this endless night, because we have a murderer in our midst. And when it comes to detection, there's none finer. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Agatha Christie!" Jenny thought that applause would be fitting if the situation weren't so serious.

"This is a crooked house," Agatha began. "A house of secrets. To understand the solution, we must examine them all. Starting with you..." She started to turn towards Lady Edison, but then turned to Robina. "...Miss Redmond." The lady in red looked shocked.

"But I'm innocent, surely?"

"You've never met these people, and these people have never met you. I think the real Robina Redmond never left London. You're impersonating her!"

"How silly!" Robina looked affronted. "What proof do you have?"

"You said you went to the toilet..."

"Oh, I know this," Donna stated in a whisper to Jenny. "If she was really posh, she'd say 'loo'." Agatha picked up the box that they found outside in the flower bushes.

"Earlier today, Miss Noble and I found this on the lawn. Right beneath your bathroom window. You must have heard that Miss Noble was searching the bedrooms, so you panicked. You ran upstairs and disposed of the evidence."

"I've never seen that thing in my life!" Robina protested.

"What's inside it?" Lady Edison asked. Agatha opened the box to reveal the tools.

"The tools of your trade, Miss Redmond," Agatha said, showing everyone the box. "Or should I say... the Unicorn!" Everyone stared. "You came to this house with one sole intention: to steal the Firestone!" Robina stared at Agatha for a while, then stood up. Her entire posture changed in an instant.

"Oh, alright, then. It's a fair cop. Yes, I'm the bleedin' Unicorn." Her accent was now that of a thick drawl. "Ever so nice to meet you, I don't think. I took my chance in the dark and nabbed it. Go on then, you knobs. Arrest me, sling me in jail." She pulled the Firestone out of her dress and tossed it to Jenny, who admired it in the light.

"So is she the murderer?" she murmured as she ran her fingers over the cool rock.

"Don't be so thick," Robina snapped, and Jenny bristled at the tone. "I might be a thief, but I ain't no killer."

"Quite right," Agatha agreed. "There are darker motives at work. And in examining this household, we come to you..." Again, she paused and looked at Lady Edison, but then turned to the Colonel. "...Colonel!" He stared at her before snarling in frustration.

"Damn it, woman! You with your perspicacity! You've rumbled me." He then stood up, much to everyone's surprise. Jenny, who knew the plan from the beginning, opened her mouth to say that he was actually completely innocent and that they didn't know, but her dad shook his head. She shrugged and returned to looking at the Firestone.

"Hugh!" Lady Edison exclaimed. "You can walk! But why?!"

"My darling, how else could I be certain of keeping you by my side?" the Colonel said.

"I don't understand..." Lady Edison whispered.

"You're still a beautiful woman, Clemency. Sooner or later, some chap will turn your head. I couldn't bear that. Staying in the chair was the only way I could be certain of keeping you!" He turned back to Agatha. "Confound it, Mrs. Christie, how did you discover the truth?" Agatha floundered for a moment before continued.

"Um, actually, I had no idea. I was just going to say you're completely innocent." Jenny bit her lip to keep from giggling. It wasn't really funny at all... But it sort of was.

"Oh."

"Sorry!" Agatha apologized.

"Well – well, shall I sit down, then?"

"Yeah, I think you should," Jenny nodded.

"So he's not the murderer?" Donna asked.

"Indeed not. To find the truth, let's return to this." Jenny handed her the Firestone. "Far more than the Unicorn's object of desire, the Firestone has quite a history. Lady Edison."

"I've done nothing!" the woman exclaimed.

"You brought it back from India, did you not? Before you met the Colonel. You came home with malaria and confined yourself to this house for six months, in a room that has been kept locked ever since, which I rather think means..."

"Stop, please," Lady Edison begged.

"I'm so sorry," Agatha said, and it looked as though she truly meant it. "But you had fallen pregnant in India. Unmarried and ashamed, you hurried back to England with your confidante, a young maid later to become housekeeper Miss Chandrakala."

"Clemency, is this true?" the Colonel asked, although he didn't seem angry, merely shocked.

"My poor baby," Lady Edison whispered. "I had to give him away. The shame of it."

"But you never said a word..." the Colonel said quietly, placing his hand over hers.

"I had no choice. Imagine the scandal. The family name! I'm British, I carry on."

"And it was no ordinary pregnancy," Jenny said, looking at her.

"How can you know that?"

"'Scuse me, Agatha, this is our territory," the Doctor cut in.

"When you heard that buzzing sound in the dining room," Jenny said, things clicking into place in her mind. "You said "It can't be." Why did you say that?"

"You'd never believe it," Lady Edison whispered.

"The Doctor and his friends have opened my mind to believe many things," Agatha stated. Lady Edison sighed.

"It was forty years ago, in the heat of Delhi, late one night. I was alone. And that's when I saw it, a dazzling light in the sky. The next day, he came to the house. Christopher. The most handsome man I'd ever seen. Our love blazed like a wildflower. I held nothing back. And in return... he showed me the incredible truth about himself. He'd made himself human, to learn about us. This was his true shape.

"I loved him so much, it didn't matter. But he was stolen from me. 1885, the year of the great monsoon. The river Jumna rose up and broke its banks. He was taken at the flood. But Christopher left me a parting gift, a jewel like no other. I wore it always, a part of me never forgot. I kept it close. Always."

"Just like a man," Robina drawled. "Flashes his family jewels and you end up with a bun in the oven!" Everyone ignored her, although Jenny sent her such a furious glare that the woman quailed under the intensity.

"A 'poor little child'," Agatha quoted. "Forty years ago, Miss Chandrakala took that newborn babe to an orphanage. But Professor Peach worked it out. He found the birth certificate."

"Oh, that's maiden!" Donna exclaimed.

"Maiden name!" Jenny replied with a grin.

"Precisely," Agatha nodded.

"So, she killed him?" Donna asked.

"I did not!" Lady Edison exclaimed. Jenny shook her head at Donna.

"Miss Chandrakala feared the the Professor had unearthed your secret. She was coming to warn you. Lady Edison is innocent. Doctor, Jenny?"

The two stepped forwards to take Agatha's place.

"Thank you," the Doctor said. "At this point, when we consider the lies, the secrets, and the key to these events, then we have to consider... it was you, Donna Noble!" He pointed at Donna, who was gaping at him. Jenny pushed his arm down.

"Before you blow up on him, what Da – Doctor Smith is trying to say is that you were right all along. This whole thing is being acted out like a murder mystery, which means that, in a roundabout way, it all leads back to Agatha Christie." Agatha blinked, and the Doctor nodded.

"That's right, Jen. She wrote! She wrote those brilliant, clever books. And, aside from you," he directed this at Jenny, "who's her greatest admirer? Lady Edison!"

"Don't, leave me alone!" she protested.

"What were you doing last Thursday night?" the Doctor asked.

"I was... I was in the library. I was reading my favorite Agatha Christie, thinking about her plots and how clever she must be. How is this relevant?"

"And what else happened on Thursday night?" Jenny prompted. "Come on!" She gave a pointed look at Reverend Golightly, who looked confused.

"You said on the lawn," the Doctor said, "this afternoon. Last Thursday night, those boys broke into your church."

"That's correct. They did. I discovered the two of them. Thieves in the night. I was most perturbed. But I apprehended them."

"Really?" Jenny whispered, looking at him with a touch of sadness. "A man of God against two strong lads? A man in his forties?"

"Or, perhaps, forty years old exactly?" the Doctor added.

"Oh my god!" Lady Edison exclaimed.

"Lady Edison, your child, how old would he be now?" the Doctor asked.

"Forty, he's forty!"

"Your child has come home."

"This is poppycock!" the Reverend snapped.

"Oh? You said you were taught by the Christian Fathers. Meaning, you were raised in an orphanage."

"My son... can it be?"

"You found those thieves, Reverend, and you got angry! A proper, deep anger, for the first time in your life, and it broke the genetic lock. You've changed! You realized your inheritance! After all these years, you knew who you were." Jenny took the Firestone away from Agatha, holding it up in the light. The Doctor gave a crooked grin. "Oh, and then it all kicks off, 'cause this isn't just a jewel. It's a Vespiform telepathic recorder! It's part of you, your brain, your very essence. When you activated, so did the Firestone. It beamed your full identity into your mind.

"And at the same time, it absorbed the works of Agatha Christie, directly from Lady Edison. It all became a part of you. Mechanics of those novels formed a template in your brain. You've killed, in this pattern, because that's what you think the world is. Turns out, we're in the middle of a murder mystery. One of yours, Dame Agatha!"

"Dame?" Agatha questioned. Jenny frowned.

"Not yet, I think."

"Right, sorry."

"So he killed them?" Donna asked. "Definitely?" Jenny nodded an affirmative.

"Yes."

"Well... this has certainly been a most entertaining evening," the Reverend said. Everyone stared. "Really, you can't believe any of this surely, Lady Edizzzzz..." Jenny looked at the man, pity in her eyes.

"Lady who?" the Doctor asked.

"Lady Edizzzzzzzzon." He was struggling to maintain his composure now, crumbling like a sand castle caught in the tide.

"Little bit of buzzing there, Vicar?"

"Don't make me angry!" he snapped, standing up.

"Why? What happens then?" The Reverend snarled, looking furious.

"Damn it! You humanzzzz! Worshipping your tribal sky godzzzz! I am so much more! That night, the universe exploded in my mind! I wanted to take what wazzz mine. And you, Agatha Christie, with your railway station bookstall romancezzz... What's to stop me from killing you?"

Jenny grabbed the Unicorn's tool kit and pulled out one of the tiny blades. It wasn't much, but it made her feel safer. She ignored her father's disapproving look.

"Oh, my dear god." Lady Edison reached out towards her son. "My child!"

"Whatzzzz to stop me from killing you all!" Fully transformed, he flew at the crowd. Jenny pushed herself in front of her father, and Lady Edison was distraught.

"Forgive me!" she cried.

"No, no, Clemency, come back!" The Colonel pulled her away. "Keep away, keep away, my darling!" They backed into a corner with Greeves and Robina. Agatha then snatched the Firestone out of Jenny's hands before she realized what was happening. The author held up the necklace, dangling it in front of the Vespiform.

"No! No more murder! If my imagination made you kill, then my imagination will find away to stop you, foul creature!" She ran out, with the Vespiform behind her. Jenny took off, bare feet slapping against the wooden floor, the Doctor and Donna following not far behind.

"And now its chasing us!" Donna said again. They ran out of the manor and slammed the door shut behind them. Agatha drove up in one of the vintage cars and beeped the horn loudly. The Vespiform crashed through the doors, and Jenny ducked.

"Over here!" Agatha shouted. "Come and get me, Reverend!"

"Agatha!" Jenny shouted.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor cried.

"If I started this, Doctor, then I must stop it!" She then drove off, the Vespiform hesitating between the time travelers and the author with the stone before chasing after Agatha. They ran towards the second car, Jenny's bare feet pounding against the gravel. The Doctor jumped into the driver's seat, with Donna in the passenger and Jenny in the back. They sped off after Agatha and the wasp.

"You said this is the night Agatha Christie loses her memory!" Donna shouted as they sped down the road.

"Time is in flux, Donna!" the Doctor replied. "For all we know, this is the night Agatha Christie loses her life and history gets changed!"

"But where's she going?" Jenny asked, frowning, before figuring it out herself. "The lake! Her car is found by a lakeside tomorrow morning, Dad! That's where we're heading!"

They pulled up beside Agatha's car, jumping out, while Agatha stood in front of the Vespiform, holding the Firestone which was now engulfed in light.

"Here I am!" she said loudly. "The honey in the trap. Come to me, Vespiform..." They rushed over to Agatha, ignoring the flying insect.

"She's controlling it!" Donna exclaimed.

"Its mind is based on her thought processes," he nodded. "They're linked!" Agatha nodded.

"Quite so, Doctor! If I die, then this creature might die with me."

Jenny shook her head.

"Dad, there's got to be another way!" she said, glancing between the Firestone and the Vespiform. The Doctor stepped in front of Agatha to face the wasp, spreading his arms out.

"Don't hurt her!" he shouted. "You're not meant to be like this, you've got the wrong template in your mind!"

Agatha looked over at Jenny while the Doctor tried to communicate with the Vespiform.

"You call him your father," she said quietly. "You've done so before, and I can see you catching yourself before you let it slip again." Jenny nodded.

"Yeah, he's my dad. Long story, but I'm about a week old and he's way older than he looks." To her credit, Agatha shrugged.

"I'm not surprised. Why should I be? It's good to know, before I die, that there is so much else out there. So much potential, you know?" Donna shook her head, and Jenny frowned.

"It's not listening," Donna whispered, pointing to the wasp, which looked about ready to charge the Doctor. Jenny went to pull him out of the way while Donna snatched the Firestone away from Agatha and threw it into the lake. The Vespiform swerved at the last moment, diving in after it and drowning in the purple glow.

"How d'you kill a wasp?" Donna asked sadly. "Drown it. Just like his father."

"Donna, that thing couldn't help itself," the Doctor said, looking at her.

"Neither could I!" Donna defended.

"Death comes as the end..." Agatha said quietly, looking out over the lake. "And justice is served."

"Murder at the Vicar's rage." Donna stared at the Doctor, who shrugged. "Needs a bit of work."

"Just one mystery left, Doctor, Jenny, Donna. Who exactly are you?"

The three glanced at one another, and Jenny started to respond.

"Agatha-"

Agatha suddenly collapsed, yelling in pain.

"The Firestone," Jenny muttered, catching her and laying her head in her lap. "You said it's part of the Vespiform's mind, Dad, and its connected to her. The Vespiform is dying!" A purple glow begins to engulf Agatha, and Donna pulled Jenny away, but then it stopped and she rested quietly, her eyes shut and her breathing slow and even.

"He let her go," the Doctor whispered. "Right at the end, the Vespiform chose to save someone's life."

"Is she alright?" Donna asked, and Jenny turned a pleading gaze on her father.

"Oh, of course! The amnesia, wiped her mind of everything that happened. The wasp, the murders..."

"And us," Jenny said sadly. "She'll forget about us."

"But we've solved another riddle," the Doctor comforted, putting an arm around her shoulders and drawing her into a hug. "The mystery of Agatha Christie. And tomorrow morning, just like you said, Jen, her car gets found by the side of a lake... A few days later, she turns up at a hotel in Harrogate, with no idea of what just happened. No one'll ever know."

Jenny lifted Agatha up into her arms, the soldier that was programmed into her giving her more strength than the average human, and she had the added bit of Time Lord in there as well. The three walked back to the TARDIS, managing to avoid all the others, and they set Agatha gently on the floor before the Doctor flew them to Harrogate, ten days in the future. Jenny went to the wardrobe and changed out of her dress into her normal black pants, green shirt, and belt. They waited patiently until Agatha awoke, gently told her that she had a room waiting for her in the hotel outside, and sent her out of the TARDIS. She walked towards the hotel, glancing back at them once in confusion before turning away and walking up the steps.

"Lady Eddison, the Colonel, all the staff... What about them?" Donna asked as they watched her leave.

"What about Agatha? Davenport? The Unicorn?" Jenny added.

"Shameful story," the Doctor said. "They'd never talk of it. Too British. The Unicorn does a bunk back to London town. She could never even say she was there, and neither could the others. Agatha... Oh, she had a great life! Met another man, married again. Saw the world. Wrote and wrote and wrote."

"She never thought her books were any good, though," Donna said as they went back into the TARDIS. "She must have spent all those years wondering..."

"Thing is," the Doctor said brightly. "I don't think she ever really forgot! Great mind like that, some of the details kept bleeding through. All the stuff her imagination could use. Like Miss Marple!"

"I should have made her sign a contract," Donna grumbled half-heartedly.

"And, where is it, hold on..." The Doctor pulled up a piece of the TARDIS floor and pulled out a large chest. Jenny got a huge smile on her face when she realized what he was doing.

"Here we go, C..." He began to rummage through the contents. "C for Cyberman..." He tossed a Cyberman chestplate to one side. "C for Carrionite..." He threw the Carrionite globe over his shoulder, which Jenny caught and gently placed on the floor, then did the same with the head of a statue. "And... Christie, Agatha!" He tossed the book to Donna, who looked at it.

"_Death in the Clouds_," Jenny grinned. "Always liked that one."

"She did remember!" Donna exclaimed.

"Somewhere, in the back of her mind, it all lingered," the Doctor said with a small smile and a nod.

"Look at the copyright page!" Jenny said, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Facsimile edition, published in the year... five billion!?" The two Time Lords grinned.

"People never stop reading them. She is the best-selling novelist of all time." Donna sighed.

"But she never knew."

"Well, no one knows how they're gonna be remembered."

"Take a look at Van Gogh," Jenny added in.

"All we can do is hope for the best. Maybe that's what kept her writing. Same thing keeps me traveling." Jenny reached over and squeezed his hand. "Onwards?"

"Onwards!" they both cheered.

And they were off.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**This is, quite literally, the longest chapter I have_ ever_ written. Ever. The longest one was seven pages, I think, and I've nearly quadrupled that. I want to clarify something really quick so there won't be any confusion later on. I'm only going to be writing scenes from the episode that have the Doctor or Jenny in them. I've basically skipped Turn Left from Donna's POV and substituted a conversation between the Doctor and Jenny over banana smoothies.**

**Also, has anybody else noticed the review button getting progressively more and more obnoxious? It used to be just a little bit of blue text, then it was this fat blue button, and a month or so later it's a gigantic _box_. A fat, space-consuming BOX that demands attention. So let it take your attention and drop a review!**


	3. Silence in the Library

**Wow! Such positive feedback from everyone! A big thanks to all of my readers! And for the record, I wrote this around midnight in the dark. Not the smartest idea I've ever had.**

**Also, in response to an anonymous review, I was sifting through the Doctor Who Archives on the site and then it occurred to me: nobody had ever done a rewrite like this, at least not one that I'd seen before. And now I've committed myself to the massive task of rewriting the entire Doctor Who series for as long as it continues. Despite that, this is still going to be fun to write.**

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Books," the Doctor said with a smile, looking around the library. "People never really stop loving books. Fifty-first century. By now you've got holovids, direct to brain downloads-"

"Fiction mist, too, yeah?" Jenny asked, and grinned when she got the answer right.

"Fiction mist, can't forget that, but you need the smell. The smell of books, Jen, Donna. Deep breath." Jenny turned in a circle, taking in the scenery, while Donna was more resigned. "The Library. So big it doesn't need a name. Just a great big _The_."

"It's like a city," Donna said, sounding grudgingly impressed.

"Jen?" the Doctor said. "We've covered this, right?" Jenny nodded.

"It's literally a world. The core of the planet is the index computer, the biggest hard drive ever created, and up here is every book ever written. Whole continents of Agatha Christie, J. K. Rowling, Jeffrey Archer... Brand new editions, specially printed." She leaned over the balcony to look down below. "I think we're near the equator, so this should be biographies."

The Doctor grinned.

"Spot-on!" he said, and Jenny smiled again at the praise.

"Never liked biographies," she said, looking around again. "Always a death at the end." The Doctor shrugged.

"You need a good death. Without death, there'd only be comedies. Dying gives us size," he responded. Donna picked up a book, and Jenny peered over her shoulder to look at it. The Doctor saw, and quickly snatched it away.

"Hey! Spoilers!"

"What?" Donna was confused.

"These books are from your future. You don't want to read ahead, spoil all the surprises. Like peeking at the end." Donna gave him a _look_.

"Isn't traveling with you one big spoiler?" He shrugged, looking mildly sheepish.

"I try to keep you away from major plot developments. Which, to be honest, I seem to be very bad at, 'cause you know what? This is the biggest library in the universe."

"So where is everyone?" Jenny asked, just realizing that there was nobody anywhere. "It's completely silent!"

"The planet, the whole planet," the Doctor muttered, using the screwdriver on a nearby information screen, activating it.

"Maybe it's a Sunday," Donna suggested.

"No, I never land on Sundays." The Doctor dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Sundays are boring." Donna dropped her voice to a whisper.

"Well maybe everyone's really, _really_ quiet." Jenny shook her head, looking at the screen.

"Maybe. But you'd still hear something. A chair moving, something coughing, someone breathing just a tiny bit too loudly. Not to mention we'd have been yelled at by now for making too much noise."

"Doctor, why are we here? Really, why?" Donna questioned.

"Oh, you know, just passing," he said, still fiddling with the terminal.

"She has a point," Jenny said. "One minute you're saying we should go to the beach, then suddenly we're at a library. Why?"

"Now, that's interesting," the Doctor said, obviously not paying attention to them.

"What?" Donna asked, walking over so she was standing next to him. Jenny, being shorter than the two, managed to look over her dad's arm.

"Scanning for life forms," he said. "If I do a scan looking for your basic humanoids, you know, your book readers, few limbs and a face, apart from us, I get nothing. Zippo. Nada. See?" He pointed to the screen, which read _"LIFE FORMS 3"_. "But if I widen the parameters to any kind of life..."

The screen then read out _'Error 1,000,000,000,000 lifeform number capped at maximum record"_.

"A million million," Jenny breathed. "Gives up after that. A million million life forms, and silence in the library!"

"But there's nothing here," Donna said, looking around. "There's nobody here. It's just books. I mean, it's not the books, is it? It can't be books, can it?"

"Books can't be alive, right, Dad?" Jenny asked. The three all looked towards the book that the Doctor had snatched away from Donna. They started slowly reaching out, hesitantly, afraid to touch it, but a voice made them all jump.

"Welcome."

"That came from where the TARDIS was." Jenny said, and they all backed away, thankful that they didn't need to open the book.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They returned to the room where the TARDIS was, where a vaguely humanoid statue turned what Jenny supposed could be called a head and spoke from a female face on the white surface.

"I am Courtesy Node seven-one-zero-slash-aqua," it said in a calm voice. "Please enjoy the Library and respect the personal access codes of all your fellow readers, regardless of species or hygiene taboo."

"That face, it looks real," Donna said, staring at it.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," the Doctor said, dismissing the subject. Jenny walked around Donna so she could get a closer look at it.

"A statue with a real face, though?" she repeated. "It's a hologram or something, right?" Jenny gently poked its cheek; it showed no reaction, and the skin, despite feeling real, was cold as ice.

"No, but really, its fine," the Doctor said again.

"Additional," the Node said, causing Jenny to jump backwards in surprise. "There follows a brief message from the Head Librarian for your urgent attention." The Doctor walked over to Jenny and Donna to watch the Node. "It has been edited for tone and content by a Felman Lux Automated Decency Filter. Message follows: Run. For God's sake, run. No way is safe. The library has sealed itself. We can't. Oh. They're here. Argh. Slarg. Snick. Message ends. Please switch off your mobile comm. units for the sake of other readers."

"Oh my gosh," Donna whispered. "Something killed him!"

"So that's why we're here..." The Doctor mumbled. "Any other messages, same date stamp?"

"One additional message," the Node said. "This message carries a Felman Lux coherency warning of five-zero-eleven-"

"Just play it," Jenny said impatiently to the robot. "Come on!"

"Message follows: Count the shadows. For God's sake, remember, if you want to live, count the shadows. Message ends."

"Dad?" Jenny said, frowning at the Node. The Doctor looked between the two of them.

"Donna, Jen?"

"Yeah?" they both said.

"Stay out of the shadows."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So we weren't just in the neighborhood," Jenny said as they walked through a hallway lined with books.

"Yeah, I kind of sort of lied a bit. I got a message on the psychic paper." He held it up for them to see.

_The Library_

_Come as soon as you can._

_x_

"Cry for help, with a kiss?" Donna questioned.

"Oh, we've done all that," the Doctor sighed.

"Who's it from?" Jenny asked.

"No idea," her father responded.

"So why did we come here?" Jenny asked. "Why did you-"

"Jenny." The warning note in his tone was enough to make her stop talking. She paused and turned to see the lights flickering out behind them. "Run!" They took off, Jenny basking in the adrenaline rush, then stopped when they came to a set of double wooden doors. "Come on..." the Doctor muttered as he tried to force the door open.

"What, is it locked?" Donna asked, glancing back at the lights.

"Jammed," he replied. "The wood's warped."

"Well, sonic it!" she replied. "Use the thingy!"

"I can't, it's wood!"

"What, it doesn't do wood?" Jenny rolled her eyes.

"Oh, get out of the way," she said, pushing her dad to the side and kicking the door open. The Doctor quickly shut the door behind them while Donna ran and grabbed a book off of the shelves, sliding it between the door handles in an attempt to keep them shut. The three turned around to see a little girl, maybe eight or nine.

"Oh, hello," the Doctor said with a reassuring smile. "Sorry to burst in on you like this. Okay if we stop here for a bit?"

The girl fell to the floor in the shape of a spherical security camera, causing Jenny to blink a few times in surprise.

"Nice door skills, Jen," the Doctor commented as he went to sonic the camera.

"I may not be a soldier, really, but the information's still in there," she replied, tapping her head.

"Did we just run away from a power cut?" Donna asked, glancing back at the door.

"Of course we're safe," the Doctor replied distractedly. "There's a little shop."

"What does that-" Jenny began, glancing over at said job, but then the Doctor gave a brief shout of triumph.

"Gotcha!" Jenny sprinted over to see red words scrolling across a screen on the camera.

_No, stop it. No. No._

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the Doctor said, setting it down. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's alive!"

"You said it was a security camera," Donna pointed out.

"It is. It's an alive one."

_Others are coming. The Library is breached. Others are coming._

"Others?" Donna asked. "What does it mean, others?" The Doctor frowned, and Jenny left her dad to speak to a Node. It turned to reveal an older man's face, maybe in his fifties. Jenny poked it, only to find the same thing she had found with the other Node. It felt real, but it was cold.

"Excuse me," she said. "Do you know what it means by others?" The Doctor shook his head.

"That's like a speak your weight machine, it can't help you. It will just spout protocol and whatnot."

"Then why's it got a face?" Donna asked.

"This flesh aspect was donated by Mark Chambers on the occasion of his death. It has been actualized individually for you from the many facial aspects saved to our extensive flesh banks. Please enjoy." Jenny poked it again.

"So it _is_ a real face!" she exclaimed.

"It chose a dead face for her that it thought she'd like?!" Donna said incredulously. "That statue's got a real dead person's face on it!"

"It's the fifty-first century. That's basically like donating a park bench," the Doctor said.

"It's donating a face!" Donna started backing away from it, horrified by the idea that someone would donate their _face_.

"No, wait, no." The Doctor grabbed Donna before she could back up any more, but she swatted his hands away.

"Oi! Hands."

"The shadow..." Jenny said, staring at it. "Look."

"What about it?" Donna asked.

"Count the shadows," the Doctor replied.

"One. There, counted it, one shadow." Jenny looked up at the large domed window above them, revealing a clear sky and a sun overhead.

"But what's casting it?" she asked. There was an oppresive silence, which the Doctor broke a few moments later.

"Oh, I'm thick! Look at me, I'm old and thick. Head's too full of stuff." Jenny looked at him like he was crazy. "I need a bigger head!" He punctuated each word in the last sentence with a slap to the forehead. A light in the corridor went out.

"The power's going," Donna said.

"This place runs on fission cells, it'll outburn the sun," the Doctor replied, shooting that idea down.

"Then why is it dark?"

"It's not dark," the Doctor replied, and Jenny's eyes widened.

"The shadow's gone!" she exclaimed.

"We need to get back to the TARDIS," her father said grimly.

"Why?"

"Because that shadow hasn't gone. It's moved." Jenny grabbed Donna's hand and pulled her over so she was standing in the middle of the sunlight. The Node Jenny had spoken to started talking.

"The Library has been breached. Others are coming. Reminder. The Library has been breached. Others are coming. Reminder. The Library has been breached. Others are coming..." It continued to rattle on.

A door was blown open in a flash of light, and the trio whirled around to see six figures in spacesuits enter. The one at the front presumably the leader, pressed a button and her tinted helmet lightened to reveal a woman with olive skin, curly hair, a pleasing smile and a metaphorical gleam in her eye.

"Hello, sweetie," she said to the Doctor.

"Doctor..." Donna said, looking around.

"Dad, I think we should go," Jenny stated.

"All of you," the Doctor addressed the team. "Turn around, get back in your rocket and fly away. Tell your grandchildren you came to the library and lived. They won't believe you."

"Pop your helmets everyone, we've got breathers," the woman said, and they all removed their helmets. There were two other women besides the leader, and three men.

"How do you know they're not androids?" A woman with a darker complexion and curly hair asked.

"Because I've dated androids," the leader replied. "They're rubbish." One of the men spoke up.

"Who is this? You said we were the only expedition. I paid for exclusives!"

"I lied," the leader replied. "I'm always lying. Bound to be others."

"Miss Evangelista," the same man said. "I want to see the contracts."

"You came through the north door, yeah?" the leader asked. "How was that, much damage?"

"Look, you need to leave!" Jenny snapped. "There's something wrong here, and I don't think anyone should stay to find out what it is." The Doctor nodded.

"She's right. I'm asking you seriously and properly, just leave. Hang on, did you say expedition?"

"My expedition!" the man said. "I funded it."

"Oh, you're not, are you?" the Doctor groaned. "Tell me you're not archaeologists."

"Got a problem with archaeologists?" the leader asked.

"I'm a time traveler. I point and laugh at archaeologists," he responded. Jenny snorted.

"Professor River Song," the leader said with a smile. "Archaeologist."

"River Song, lovely name," the Doctor said quickly. Jenny nodded her agreement. "As you're leaving, and you're leaving now, you need to set up a quarantine beacon. Codewall the planet, the whole planet. Nobody comes here, not ever again. Not one living thing, not here, not ever." The other female with the curly hair started walking towards one of the shelves that was partially in shadow. "Stop right there." She turned to look at him. "What's you're name?"

"Anita," she said.

"Anita, stay out of the shadows. Not a foot, not a finger in the shadows till you're safely back in your ship. Goes for all of you. Stay in the light. Find a nice, bright spot and just stand. If you understand me, look very, very scared."

The all stared at him, except for River, who watched with an amused smile. The Doctor sighed.

"No, bit more scared than that." Only Miss Evangelista looked worried, and only mildly so. Jenny tapped her dad on the shoulder.

"You're sounding a bit nonsensical," she said. "Try explaining first?" He blinked and looked at her for a moment before turning back to the group.

"Really, you should be scared." There still wasn't a reaction. "Okay, fine, that'll do for now. You." He pointed at a man who looked like he might be related to Anita. "Who are you?"

"Er, Dave," he replied.

"Okay, Dave-" the Doctor started.

"Well, Other Dave, because that's Proper Dave, the pilot, he was the first Dave, so when we-"

"Other Dave, the way you came, does it look the same as before?" The Doctor cut him off.

"Well, it's a bit darker," he said, glancing back towards the doorway.

"How much darker?" he demanded.

"Oh, like I could see where we came through just like a moment ago, but I can't now."

"Seal up this door, we'll find another way out." Other Dave blinked and went towards the door. Jenny moved to stand next to Donna, not quite sure what she should be doing.

"We're not looking for a way out!" Lux snapped. "Miss Evangelista?" Miss Evangelista stepped forwards, looking rather nervous.

"I'm Mister Lux's personal... everything. You need to sign these contracts... agreeing that your... individual experience inside the Library are the... intellectual property of the Felman Lux Corporation." She held out three contracts, one for each of them.

"Right, give it here," the Doctor said impatiently.

"Yeah, lovely. Thanks," Donna said.

"Why not?" Jenny added.

The three of them tore up the contracts and tossed the paper remains over their shoulders.

"My family built this library! I have rights!" Lux said.

"You have a mouth that won't stop," River Song replied. "You think there's danger here?" This was directed towards the Doctor.

"I'm following his lead," Jenny said. Donna nodded her agreement.

"Something came to this library and killed everything in it. Killed a whole world. Danger? Could be." Her dad was obviously getting fed up with the archaeologists.

"That was a hundred years ago," River responded. "The Library's been silent for a hundred years. Whatever came here is long dead."

"Bet your life?" he asked.

"Always," came the response. Jenny smiled when she saw Other Dave sealing the door. Lux followed her gaze and frowned.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"He said seal the door," Other Dave said with a shrug.

"Torch." The Doctor held out his hand.

"You're taking orders from _him_?" Lux asked, ignoring the Doctor.

"Probably the smartest thing to do," Jenny responded as the Doctor took the torch and shone the light into the far corners of the room.

"Almost every species in the universe has an irrational fear of the dark," he said grimly, looking around. "But they're wrong, because it's not irrational. It's Vashta Nerada."

"Vashta Ner_what_ now?" Jenny questioned.

"What's Vashta Nerada?" Donna asked.

"It's what's in the dark. It's what's always in the dark," he said. "Lights! That's what we need, lights. You got lights?"

"What for?" River asked.

"Form a circle," he ordered. "Safe area. Big as you can, lights pointing out."

Jenny once again thought about how her dad, despite what he said, was still a soldier, although he chose the peaceful methods instead of the more violent ones. She knew that there was always a choice about killing, and she knew that killing was bad, but she was... programmed, for lack of a better word, to think like a soldier, and that part of her couldn't help but admire how he could effortlessly take charge of a situation and give out orders like a practiced general.

"Oi, do as he says," River said, motioning for everyone to get to work.

"You're not listening to this man?" Lux said, surprised.

"Apparently, I am," she retorted. "Anita, unpack the lights. Other Dave, make sure the door's secure, then help Anita. Mister Lux, put your helmet back on, block the visor. Proper Dave, find an active terminal. I want you to access the library database, see what you can find out about what happened a hundred years ago. Pretty boy, you're with me. Step into my office."

"Why am I the only one wearing my helmet?" Lux asked.

"I don't fancy you," she replied. Donna went over to Anita and Other Dave, Jenny bounced on her heels, unsure of what to do, and her dad was going to Proper Dave, but River called across the room.

"Pretty boy, with me, I said!"

"Oh, _I'm_ pretty boy?" the Doctor asked. Jenny snorted.

"Yes," Donna replied. "Ooo, that came out a bit quick."

"_Pretty_?" he repeated.

"Meh."

"Don't let your shadows cross, he called as he crossed the room. "Seriously, don't even let them touch. Any of them could be infected."

Jenny looked around again before taking her dad's place next to Proper Dave.

"Any luck?" she asked. Dave shook his head.

"This library has more security protocols than anything else I've ever seen," he grumbled. "I've been trying to rewire the interface and send a feedback loop through the delta circuit, which ought to temporarily shut everything down and grant me access, but it doesn't seem to be working." Jenny shrugged.

"I'm not good with computers, that's my – that's the Doctor's specialty. She wasn't sure if she could manage to explain the fact that she was about two weeks old despite looking about twenty and her dad was 900-something despite looking to be thirty-something.

"Maybe if I try looping it through the alpha circuit instead...?"

Instead of granted access, however, an alarm began to ring. Everyone looked around.

"Sorry, that was me," he called back to them. "Trying to get through into the security protocols. I seem to have set something off. Is that an alarm?"

"Doctor?" Donna said slowly. "Doctor, that sounds like-"

"It is," he responded. "It's a phone."

"I'm trying to call up the data core, but it's not responding. Just that noise," Dave said as the Doctor came over. Jenny shifted aside slightly.

"Let me try something."

The screen said _Access Denied._

"Okay, doesn't like that," he said with a frown. "Let's try something else."

There was static on the screen, and then a little girl's face came up in front of them. To say both sides were confused would be putting it mildly.

"Hello?" the Doctor asked.

"Hello," the girl replied. "Are you in my television?"

"Well, no, I'm – I'm sort of in space. Er, I was trying to call up the data core of a triple grid security processor." The girl blinked.

"Would you like to speak to my Dad?" she asked after a moment. The Doctor nodded.

"Dad or your Mum, that'd be lovely." There was another, longer pause in which the girl stared at them.

"I know you," she said after a moment. "You're in my library!"

"Your library?" Jenny asked.

"The library's never been on the television before," the girl said. "What have you done?"

"Well, I just rerouted the interface..." the Doctor began, but the screen went back to static and _Access Denied_.

"What happened?" River asked. "Who was that?"

"I need another terminal," the Doctor muttered. "Keep working on those lights! We need those lights!" Jenny, being rubbish with computers like she said, went to go help with the lights. That was something she could do.

"You heard him people," River said. "Let there be light." The Doctor left for another terminal, River following behind. A minute later, books began to fly off the shelves, bewildering and confusing everyone. It stopped shortly thereafter, and Jenny was about to start helping with the lights, but she saw Donna and Miss Evangelista talking. The latter looked rather upset, so she went over there instead.

"-I'm stupid, because I'm pretty," she was saying.

"'Course they don't," Donna said. "Nobody thinks that."

"Everything okay?" Jenny asked. Miss Evangelista shrugged.

"They're right, though. I'm a moron, me. My dad said I have the IQ of a plankton, and I was pleased." Jenny, who sort of got what was happening, put a hand on the older woman's shoulder.

"See, that's funny," Donna said in an attempt to cheer her up, but Miss Evangelista just looked at her.

"No, no, I really was _pleased_. Is that funny?"

"No, no," Donna said, hastily backtracking. Jenny nodded.

"You're a brilliant woman," Jenny said. "You think they'd have let you on here if you were really that stupid?" The two shared a brief smile, but ducked as more books started flying off the shelves.

"What's causing it?" River asked. "Is it the little girl?"

"But who is the little girl," her father asked. "What's she got to do with this place? How does the data core work? What's the principle? What's Cal?"

"Ask Mister Lux," River responded.

"Cal, what is it?" The Doctor turned to Lux with a bombardment of questions.

"You didn't sign your personal experience contracts," he stated. Jenny glared at him.

"You're in more danger than you've ever been, and you're protecting a patent?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm protecting my family's pride!" he snapped back.

"Well, funny thing, Mister Lux," the Doctor said slowly. "I don't want to see everyone in this room dead because some idiot thinks his pride is more important."

"Then why didn't you sign his contract?" River asked. He turned to her, ready to speak, but she cut him off. "I didn't either. I'm getting worse than you."

"Okay, okay, okay. Let's start at the beginning. What happened here? On the actual day, a hundred years ago, what physically happened?" _I think we'd all like to know_, Jenny thought.

"There was a message from the library..." River started, but Jenny stopped paying attention as a panel slid open in the wall. She frowned. No one was near any terminals... The little girl again?

"Er, excuse me?" Miss Evangelista said, having obviously seen the new passageway as well.

"Not just now," Lux said. Jenny slipped away from the group and walked towards the entry, ignoring the conversation behind her.

"Er, this might be important, actually," Jenny said.

"Just a minute, Jen!" the Doctor responded. Jenny and Miss Evangelista looked at one another before Jenny grinned and sprinted into the passage, the other woman following right behind. The two found themselves in another large room, full of shelves. Every flat surface was covered in piles and piles of books. Jenny looked around, while Miss Evangelista walked forwards.

They screamed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor's head snapped up at the dual scream.

"Jenny!" he shouted, running through the passageway and almost crashing into her. Her hands were pressed over her mouth in shock, her eyes wide. The Doctor followed her gaze to see a skeleton in rags.

"I was..." Jenny whispered, then cleared her throat. When she spoke again, her voice was stronger. "We saw a panel open, so we went to investigate. I was looking around at everything. She was walking forwards. One minute she was there, and the next..." She motioned helplessly to the skeleton.

"It's her!" River gasped. "It's Miss Evangelista!"

"We heard her scream a few seconds ago," Anita said, staring. "What could do that to a person in a few seconds?"

"It took a lot less than a few seconds," the Doctor said grimly.

"What did?" Anita asked.

"Hello?"

Jenny jumped at the sound of Miss Evangelista's voice.

"I'm sorry everyone," River said heavily. "Er, this isn't going to be pleasant. She's ghosting."

"Hello? Excuse me, I'm sorry. Hello? Excuse me?"

"That's – that's her. That's Miss Evangelista," Donna stammered. Jenny thought of all the fellow soldiers lost on Messaline.

"I don't want to sound horrible," Proper Dave said, "but couldn't we just, you know?" River glared.

"This is her last moment. No, we can't. A little respect?" He nodded. "Thank you."

"Sorry, where am I? Excuse me?"

"But that's Miss Evangelista!" Donna repeated, staring at the skeleton.

"It's a data ghost," Jenny said, thinking back through her few lessons. "There's a relay in the communicator, hooks up to your brain, lets you send thought mail. Those green lights, that's it there. Sometimes it can hold an impression of a living consciousness for a short time after death. An after image."

"My grandfather lasted a day," Anita said softly. "Kept talking about his shoelaces."

"She's in there..." Donna whispered.

"I can't see, I can't- Where am I?"

"She's just brain waves now," Other Dave said. "The pattern won't hold for long."

"But, she's conscious," Donna said. "She's thinking."

"She's a footprint on the beach," the Doctor said, putting a comforting arm around the two of them. "And the tide is coming in."

"Where's the women?" came the disembodied voice. "The nice women. Are they there?"

"What women?" Lux asked.

"Us," Jenny said quietly, glancing at Donna, who nodded. "I think she means us."

"Are they there? The nice women? Are they there?"

"Yes, she's here," River said into her own comm unit. She pressed a button and looked over at the two. "Go ahead. She can hear you."

"Hello? Are you there?"

"Help her," the Doctor said quietly.

"She's dead," Donna whispered.

"Yeah," Jenny said with a nod. "But we need to help her."

"Hello? Are you the nice women?"

"Yeah," Donna said. "Hello. Yeah, I'm – I'm here."

"We both are," Jenny added. "Um... Are you okay?"

"What I said before, about being stupid," the voice said. "Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh."

"Of course we won't," Jenny said. "I won't tell a soul."

"Neither will I," Donna said firmly. "'Course I won't."

"Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh."

"We won't tell them," Donna repeated.

"We said we wouldn't," Jenny added.

"Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh."

"We won't tell them." The light started to flash.

"Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh."

"She's looping now," River said softly. "The pattern's degrading."

"I can't think. I don't know. I – I – I – I – ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream."

"Does anybody mind if I...?" River trailed off.

"Ice cream. Ice cream."

River reached forward and turned the communicator off.

"That was horrible," Donna gasped. "That was the most horrible thing I've ever seen."

Jenny was sad. She knew that this sort of traveling wasn't all fun and games, and she didn't care whether it was or not, but she hadn't experienced the death firsthand. A part of her, the soldier, still said that it was collateral damage, but it wasn't.

"No," River said. "It's just a freak of technology. But whatever did this to her, whatever killed her, I'd like a word with that."

"I'll introduce you," the Doctor replied.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I'm going to need a packed lunch," the Doctor announced. They were standing back in the main room inside the circle of lights. Jenny was pacing.

"Hang on," River said, and went to get something.

"What's in that book?" the Doctor asked. Jenny didn't know what book he meant, but he was talking to River so she didn't think she really needed to know at the moment.

"Spoilers," was the reply.

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked again.

"Professor River Song, University of-"

"To me," he cut in. "Who are you to me?"

"Again, spoilers," she replied vaguely, handing him a metal container. "Chicken and a bit of salad. Knock yourself out." The Doctor looked at her before taking it and turning around.

"Alright, you lot. Let's meet the Vashta Nerada."

"You travel with him, don't you?" River asked Jenny and Donna. "The Doctor, you travel with him."

Jenny nodded distractedly, watching her father lie on the floor and scan the darkness with his sonic.

"What of it?" Donna asked.

"Proper Dave, could you move over a bit?" the Doctor asked.

"Why?" came the response, even as he moved over.

"Over there by the water cooler, thanks." River watched him with an expression that Jenny couldn't quite place.

"You know him, don't you," Donna said. Jenny turned back to them.

"Oh, God, do I know that man. We go way back, that man and me. Just not this far back."

"I'm sorry, what?" Donna said, staring. Jenny frowned slightly.

"He hasn't met me yet. I sent him a message, but it went wrong. It arrived too early. This is the Doctor in the days before he knew me. And he looks at me, he looks right through me and it shouldn't kill me, but it does."

"What are you talking about?" Donna said. She didn't get it. "Are you just talking rubbish? Do you know him or don't you?"

"Donna!" the Doctor called. "Quiet! I'm working."

"Sorry," she called back.

"I think... you've met Dad before, but it was in his future. He's a time traveler, so time isn't linear for him, right?" Jenny said, thinking it out, and River nodded. "And you know him in the future, but he just hasn't met you yet." River nodded again.

"You were always bright," she said with a smile, then turned to Donna. "You're Donna Noble."

"Yeah, why?" Donna asked.

"Like Jenny just said, I know the Doctor in the future, his personal future."

"So you don't know me?" Donna asked. "Where am I in the future." River didn't give a response, and they all turned as the Doctor spoke again.

"Okay, got a live one. That's not darkness down those tunnels. This is not a shadow. It's a swarm, a man-eating swarm." He tossed a chicken leg into the shadow, and it was nothing more than a bone when it hit the floor. "The piranhas of the air. The Vashta Nerada. Literally, the shadows that melt the flesh. Most planets have them, but usually in small clusters. I've never seen an infestation on this scale, or this aggressive."

"What do you mean, most planets? Not Earth?" Donna said. Surely there weren't things like this on _Earth_?

"Mmm, Earth and a billion other worlds," he responded. "Where there's meat, there's Vashta Nerada. You can see them sometimes, if you look. The dust in sunbeams."

"If they were on Earth, we'd know," Donna said, still not quite able to believe that there were Vashta Nerada on Earth.

"Nah, normally they live on roadkill. But sometimes people go missing. Not everyone comes back out of the dark."

"Every shadow?" River questioned.

"No," he replied. "But any shadow."

"So what do we do?" she asked.

"Daleks..." he glanced at Jenny, and she finished the sentence.

"Aim for the eyestalk," she responded.

"Sontarans?"

"Back of the neck."

"Weeping Angel?"

"Don't blink."

"Vashta Nerada? Run. Just run."

"Run where?" River asked.

"This is an index point, there must be an exit teleport somewhere." Everyone turned to Mister Lux, who shrugged.

"Don't look at me, I haven't memorized the schematics." Donna frowned in thought for a moment before speaking.

"Doctor, the little shop. They always make you go through the little shop on the way out so they can sell you stuff."

"You're right!" he said, grinning. "Brilliant! That's why I like the little shop."

"Okay, let's move it," Proper Dave said, starting to head towards the direction that the shop was in, and Jenny gasped. The Doctor saw it too.

"Actually, Proper Dave? Could you stay where you are for a moment?" the Doctor questioned lightly.

"Why?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry. But you've got two shadows."

Proper Dave froze, and Jenny looked at him in sorrow while his two shadows stretched outwards from his body at a right angle.

"It's how they hunt," the Doctor explained. "They latch onto a food source and keep it fresh."

"What do I do?" Dave asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

"You stay absolutely still, like there's a wasp in the room. Like there's a million wasps."

"We're not leaving you, Dave," River assured him.

"'Course we're not," the Doctor agreed. "Where's your helmet? Don't point, just tell me."

"On the floor, by my bag," he replied. Anita went to get it.

"Don't cross his shadow," the Doctor said, and Anita backtracked and went around the other way. "Thanks. Now, the rest of you, helmets back on and sealed up. We'll need everything we've got." Jenny took the helmet from Anita and put it on Proper Dave's head.

"Doctor, we haven't got suits," Donna pointed out.

"Yeah, but we're safe anyway."

"How are we safe?"

"We aren't; that was just a clever lie to shut you up." Jenny rolled her eyes. "Professor, anything I can do with the suit?"

"What good are the damn suits?" Lux snapped. "Miss Evangelista was wearing her suit, there was nothing left."

"Yeah, we're aware of that _sir_," Jenny said. The man was starting to annoy her.

"We can increase the mesh density," River said, ignoring them. "Dial it up four hundred percent. Make it a tougher meal."

"Okay, the Doctor said, and used the screwdriver to adjust the suit. "Eight hundred percent," he said, holding it up. "Pass it on." River just held up a sonic screwdriver of her own. "What's that?"

"It's a screwdriver," she replied as though it was obvious.

"It's sonic."

"Yeah, I know. Snap."

River then went around the room, upgrading all the spacesuits. The Doctor looked around for a moment before grabbing Donna and Jenny and pulling them along.

"With me, come on."

"What are we doing?" Donna asked as they were dragged into the little shop.

"Yeah, I don't think this is the best time for shopping, Dad," Jenny added.

"No talking, just moving," he responded, going over to a platform with three roundels in it. "Try it. Right, stand there in the middle. It's a teleport."

"What are you doing?" Donna asked. Jenny stubbornly shook her head, since she had a fair idea.

"You don't have suits," he responded. "Either of you. You're not safe."

"You don't have a suit," Donna responded, "so you're in just as much danger as I am and I'm not leaving you!"

"I'm not leaving you either, Dad," Jenny said, not moving from her spot. The Doctor pushed Donna onto the platform, then turned to Jenny.

"I'm not going to let you die if I can help it. I've already gone through that once, and there's no coming back from a death by Vashta Nerada. 'Sides, you need to protect Donna," he added in an undertone. Jenny looked between him and Donna before sighing.

"If you die here, I'm going to kill you, and Donna will help, you understand?" she said, poking him in the chest to emphasize her words. He nodded, and Jenny stepped up onto the platform.

"Doctor-" Donna started, but the Doctor cut in again.

"Donna, let me explain-"

And he sent them off in the teleport.

"Doctor!" River called, and the Doctor sprinted back into the other room. He arrived to see Dave looking behind him at a single shadow.

"Where'd it go?" the Doctor asked.

"It's just gone," Proper Dave replied. "I looked 'round, one shadow, see?"

"Does that mean we can leave?" River asked. "I don't want to hang around here." Lux groaned.

"I don't know why we're still here. "We can leave him, can't we? I mean, no offence," he added at Proper Dave's glare.

"Shut up, Mister Lux," River snapped.

"Did you feel anything?" the Doctor asked. "An energy transfer, anything at all?"

"No, no, but look, it's gone!" He turned around a couple times to prove his point.

"Stop there. Stop, stop, stop there. Stop moving. They're never just gone and they never give up." He sonicked Dave's remaining shadow. "Well, this one's benign."

"Hey, who turned out the lights?" Proper Dave asked, sounding confused.

"No one, they're fine," the Doctor replied, equally confused.

"No, seriously, turn them back on."

"They are on," River responded.

"I can't see a ruddy thing!"

"Dave, turn around," the Doctor said slowly, both him and River wearing worried expressions. Dave turned around to reveal that his visor had gone completely dark.

"What's going on? Why can't I see? Is the power gone? Are we safe here?"

"Dave, I want you to stay still," the Doctor said urgently. "Absolutely still." Dave convulsed, and the Doctor took a brief step back. "Dave? Dave? Dave, can you hear me? Are you alright? Talk to me, Dave."

"I'm fine. I'm okay. I'm fine," he said after a moment.

"I want you to stay still," the Doctor repeated. "Absolutely still."

"I'm fine. I'm okay. I'm fine. I can't. Why can't I? I – I can't. Why can't I? I – I can't. Why can't I? I-"

"He's ghosting," River said, looking at the flashing green lights on the comm unit.

"Then why is he still standing?" Lux asked.

"Hey, who turned out the lights? Hey, who turned out the lights?" The Doctor slowly started moving forwards.

"Doctor, don't," River said, but she didn't make a move to stop him.

"Dave, can you hear me?" the Doctor said slowly.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?" Dave's hand shot out and grabbed the Doctor by the throat, his body tilting forwards to reveal a grinning skull through the helmet. "Who turned out the lights? Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"Excuse me," River said, stepping to one side and aiming her screwdriver at the suit. With a whir, it let go of the Doctor, who stumbled backwards.

"Back from it! Get back, right back."

Proper Dave's skeleton took a lurching step towards them, stumbling slightly.

"Doesn't move very fast, does it?" River commented, but she spoke too soon.

"It's a swarm in a suit," the Doctor replied. "But it's learning." They retreated further when they saw that there were now four shadows extending from the suit, stretching out towards them.

"What do we do?" Lux asked, not quite panicking. "Where do we go?"

"See that wall behind you?" River asked, and Lux nodded. "Duck!" She pulled out a gun and shot the wall, opening up a square hole.

"Squareness gun!" the Doctor commented.

"Everybody out," River commanded. "Go, go, go! Move it. Move, move. Move it. Move, move."

They ran through the library, trying to avoid the suit and as many shadows as possible.

"You said not every shadow," River said as they turned away from a dark hallway again to find a different route.

"But any shadow." They stopped as they saw the suit.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"Run!" River shouted, and they ran until they thought they'd lost the shadows that were chasing them. The Doctor climbed up on a chair so he could sonic a light fixture.

"Trying to boost the power," he explained. "Light doesn't stop them, but it slows them down."

"So, what's the plan?" River asked. "Do we _have_ a plan?"

"Your screwdriver looks exactly like mine," the Doctor said, ignoring the question.

"Yeah, you gave it to me," she responded.

"I don't give my screwdriver to anyone."

"I'm not anyone."

"Who are you?"

"What's the plan?" she repeated.

"I teleported Donna and Jenny back to the TARDIS. If we don't get back there in under five hours, emergency program one will activate."

"Take them home, yeah," River nodded. The Doctor opened his mouth to continue talking, but then he frowned and looked at the sonic.

"They aren't there," he said, feeling a growing sense of dread. "The console signals me if there's a teleport breach."

"Well, maybe the coordinates slipped," River tried to reassure him. "The equipment here is ancient." The Doctor nodded, hoping that was the case, and went over to a nearby Node.

"Excuse me, there's a Donna Noble and..." he trailed off as he realized Jenny wasn't really her official name. "...a generated anomaly in this library. Do you have the software to locate their positions?"

The Node swiveled its head around to reveal Jenny's placid face. The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has left the library," it said. "Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has been saved. Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."

"Jenny..." the Doctor breathed. "No, not Jenny, please not Jenny."

"Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has left the library. Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has been saved. Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."

"How can it be Jenny?" River asked. "How is that possible?"

"Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has left the library," it said. "Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has been saved. Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."

"Jenny," the Doctor whispered again.

"Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has left the library. Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has been saved. Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."

"Doctor!" River shouted as she saw the suit.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has left the library. Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has been saved."

"Doctor, we've got to go now!"

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"Donna Noble has left the library."

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"Donna Noble has been saved."

"Jenny, I'm so sorry..."

River grabbed the Doctor by the arm and pulled him along, followed by Lux, Other Dave, and Anita.

"Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has left the library. Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has been saved."

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."

They were trapped between a rock and a hard place. The hallway behind them grew visibly darker as the shadows shifted and the lights started to flicker.

_Jenny..._

"Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has left the library. Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has been saved. Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has left the library. Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has been saved. Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

They were trapped.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**Buahahaha! Cliffie! *hides from onslaught of fruit* So anyway, here's the next chapter. See you all Thursday!**

**And on a random note, **_**Asylum of the Daleks**_** was absolutely fantastic! If you haven't seen it already, WATCH IT. **_**NOW.**_


	4. Forest of the Dead

_They were trapped between a rock and a hard place. The hallway behind them grew visibly darker as the shadows shifted and the lights started to flicker._

_"Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has left the library. Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has been saved. Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."_

_"Hey, who turned out the lights?"_

_"Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has left the library. Unit three-seven-five-zero-alpha has been saved. Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."_

_"Hey, who turned out the lights?"_

_They were trapped._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

River pulled out her squareness gun again and shot a hole through the bookshelf next to them.

"This way, quickly. Move!"

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny sat up and looked around. This wasn't the TARDIS, it was a nice field, full of grass and flowers. There was a hospital off in the distance, trees scattered here and there, and people milling about. Getting up, she dusted the grass off of her pants and started walking.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

There was a large moon hanging in the sky, the sun not quite finished setting. River cut another hole through the wall and they all run into the room.

"Okay, we've got a clear spot. In, in, in! Right at the center. In the middle of the light, quickly. Don't let your shadows cross. Doctor?" River turned to the Doctor.

"I'm doing it, he responded, sitting down on the floor and scanning the shadows.

"There's no lights here," she said, looking around. "Sunset's coming. We can't stay long. Have you found a live one?"

"Maybe," he responded. "It's getting harder to tell." He glared at the sonic. "What's wrong with you?"

"We're going to need a chicken leg," River said to the group. "Who's got a chicken leg?" Dave handed her a metal container holding a few chicken legs. "Thanks, Dave." She tossed the meat into the shadow, and it was bone before it hit the ground.

"Okay, okay, we've got a hot one. Watch your feet," River said, taking some precautionary steps backwards.

"They won''t attack until there's enough of them," the Doctor said, doing his best to reassure them. "But they've got our scent now. They're coming."

"Oh, yeah, who is he?" Other Dave asked River. "You haven't even told us yet. You just expect us to trust him?"

"He's the Doctor," River responded.

"And who is the Doctor?" Lux asked still being irritable.

"The only story you'll ever tell, if you survive him," River responded.

"You say he's your friend, but he doesn't even know who you are," Anita said.

"Listen, all you need to know is this," River said, almost snapping at them. "I'd trust that man to the end of the universe, and actually, we've been."

"He doesn't act like he trusts you," Anita countered.

"Yeah, there's a tiny problem. He hasn't met me yet." She went over to where the Doctor was continuing to scan shadows.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked, nodding at the screwdriver.

"There's a signal coming from somewhere, interfering with it," he responded in a quiet tone. There wasn't very much emotion in his voice at all.

"Then use the red settings," she suggested, and he looked at her.

"It doesn't have a red setting," he said.

"Well, use the dampers," she tried again.

"It doesn't have dampers."

"It will one day," River said, holding up her own screwdriver. The Doctor plucked it from her hand.

"So, some time in the future, I just give you my screwdriver."

"Yeah," River said, nodding.

"Why would I do that?" he asked suspiciously.

"I didn't pluck it from your cold dead hands, if that's what you're worried about."

"And I know that because...?" River glared.

"Listen to me. You've lost your best friend and your daughter. You're angry. But-"

"She's still alive," the Doctor snapped. "The Node said that they were both 'saved'. She's still alive, and don't you even consider saying otherwise."

"I won't, but you can't start acting all reclusive on us now! There are five people still alive in this room, focus on that. Dear God, you're hard work when you're young." The Doctor just stared at her.

"Young?" he asked, his voice rising. "Who are you?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Lux shouted, effectively stopping their argument. "Look at the pair of you. We're all going to die right here, and you're just squabbling like an old married couple!" The Doctor blinked and looked back at River, who sighed.

"Doctor, one day I'm going to be someone that you trust completely, but I can't wait for you to find that out. So I'm going to prove it to you. And I'm sorry. I'm really very sorry." She leaned in to whisper something in the Doctor's ear, and when she pulled back, he was absolutely stunned.

"Are we good?" River asked, and when he didn't answer, she repeated herself more firmly. "Doctor, are we good?" He nodded, snapping out of his daze.

"Yeah, we're good."

"Good." She took her sonic back and walked away. The Doctor looked down at his own.

"You know what's interesting about my screwdriver?" he asked. "Very hard to interfere with. Practically nothing's strong enough. Well, some hair dryers, but I'm working on that. So there is a very strong signal coming from somewhere, and it wasn't there before. So what's new? What's changed?" There was no response. "Come on! What's new? What's different?"

"I don't know," Other Dave said with a shrug. "Nothing. It's getting dark?" The Doctor stared at him.

"It's a screwdriver, it works in the dark." Still no answers came forth. "Moonrise. Tell me about the moon." The Doctor directed this towards Lux. "What's there?"

"It's not real," Lux said. "It was built as part of the Library. It's just a Doctor Moon."

"What's a Doctor Moon?" the Doctor asked.

"A virus checker. It supports and maintains the main computer at the core of the planet."

"Well, it's still active," the Doctor said. "It's signalling. Someone somewhere in this library is alive and communicating with the moon. Or, possibly, alive and drying their hair. No, the signal is definitely coming from the moon. I'm blocking it, but it's trying to break through."

An image of Donna flickered in front of them.

"Donna!" the Doctor shouted.

"Doctor!" she called, before flickering out again.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny was standing on the edge of a playground. There were children, lots of children running and playing, but there was something off. She just couldn't quite place her finger on it.

She started walking down the riverbank, then paused. How did she get from the park to the river? Ah, yes, she walked past the playground, down the street, bought herself a muffin from the bakery downtown, then went for a walk in the forest. Yes, that's what happened. She started walking, then paused again.

That _was_ what happened, right?

She looked around, frowning.

"Let's stop by the post office," she said to herself, and then she was walking home with the mail. She frowned.

"I went to get the mail..." she murmured. "And then I came back through town, which is how I got here. But I know I was just in the woods."

She looked around.

"Something's not right..."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"That was her!" River said. "That was your friend? Can you get her back?"

"Hold on, hold on, hold on," he mumbled. "I'm trying to find the wavelength. Argh! I'm being blocked!"

"Professor?" Anita said.

"Just a minute," River responded.

"It's important," Anita said. "I have two shadows." Everyone froze, then the Doctor tucked the sonic back into his pocket and River instantly went over to Anita.

"Okay, helmet's on, everyone," she said, then went to go and get Anita's helmet, avoiding the twin shadows. "Anita, I'll get yours."

"Didn't do Proper Dave any good," Anita responded. River put the helmet over her head and sealed it shut.

"Hang on," the Doctor said, and darkened the visor.

"Oh, God, they've gotten inside," River gasped.

"No, no, no, I just tinted her visor. Maybe they'll think they're already in there, leave her alone," the Doctor responded.

"Do you think they can be fooled like that?" The Doctor shrugged.

"I don't know, it's a swarm, it's not like we chat."

"Can you still see?" Other Dave asked.

"Just about," Anita responded.

"Just, just, just stay back. Professor, a quick word, please." The Doctor pulled River off to one side.

"What?" she asked.

"Down here," the Doctor said, crouching, River following a moment later.

"Look, you said there are five people alive in this room," he said.

"Yeah, so?"

"So why are there six?"

They all turned to see Proper Dave's skeleton standing, grinning at them.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny walked down the street. She'd bought a nice little house out on the edge of town, a tiny little place just big enough for two. She always made sure that there was an extra room, open, although she wasn't sure why.

No, it was a guest room. Just an ordinary blue guest room, why was she being so silly?

"Jenny."

She turned around to see a woman in a long black dress and a veil covering her head.

"Who are you?" Jenny asked.

"Jenny," she repeated. "We've met before, in the library." Jenny blinked. "You were kind to me. I want to return your kindness. You know that there is something wrong, that the world is wrong, right?" Jenny bit her lip, staring at the woman.

"I was walking near a hospital... And then I was at the park, and then down by the river. I went to get the mail. Then I was taking a walk since I realized that I needed some groceries, the fridge is nearly empty. But it's been years, hasn't it? But it only seems like a few minutes." The woman nodded. "There's something wrong, I think."

"You know the world is wrong, you know there is something missing."

"I..." Jenny bit her lip again, thinking. "I've always missed my dad. But he died in the war... But _I_ died in the war to save him. Why do I remember everything differently? Who are you?"

"I am what is left of Miss Evangelista. Come, we must meet Donna Noble. She was a kind woman, too. I want to repay her kindness as well. Come with me."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The group ran through a walkway, high above the clouds.

"Professor," the Doctor said, speaking to River. "Go ahead. Find a safe spot."

"It's a carnivorous swarm in a suit, you can't reason with it!" she said, trying to convince him to be smart and run.

"Five minutes," he said, not moving, and she sighed.

"Other Dave, stay with him. Pull him out when he's too stupid to live. Two minutes, Doctor." The Vashta Nerada came barging through the door.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"You hear that?" the Doctor said, starting to ramble. "Those words? That is the very last thought of the man who wore that suit before you climbed inside and stripped his flesh. That's a man's soul trapped inside a neural relay, going round and round forever. Now, if you don't have the decency to let him go, how about this? Use him. Talk to me. It's easy, Neural relay, just point and think. Use him, talk to me."

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"The Vashta Nerada live on all the worlds in this system, but they hunt in forests. What are you doing in a library?"

"We should go. Doctor!" Other Dave called from behind.

"In a minute," he responded. "You came to the library to hunt. Why? Just tell me why?"

"We did not." The voice was low and menacing and not at all Proper Dave's voice, instead it was something almost ancient.

"Oh, hello!"

"We did not."

"Take it easy, you'll get the hang of it. Did not what?" he prompted.

"We did not come here."

"Well of course you did. Of course you came here."

"We _come_ from here."

"From here?" The Doctor was confused.

"We hatched here."

"But you hatch from trees. From spores in trees."

"These are our forests."

"You're not in a forest, you're in a library!" the Doctor repeated, waving his arms around. "There are no trees in a... library."

"We should go. Doctor!" Other Dave called again.

"Books. You came in the books. Microspores in a million million books!"

"We should go. Doctor!"

"Oh, look at that. The forests of the Vashta Nerada, pulped and printed and bound. A million million books, hatching shadows."

"We should go. Doctor!" The Doctor didn't even turn around.

"Oh, Dave. Oh Dave, I'm so sorry." Now there were two grinning skeletons, one on either side of the hallway.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"We should go. Doctor!"

"Thing about me, I'm stupid," the Doctor said as the suits advanced. "I talk too much. Always babbling on. This gob doesn't stop for anything. Want to know the only reason I'm still alive? Always stay near the door."

And he dropped through the floor before catching himself on a support beam, inching his way forwards miles above the ground with the screwdriver clutched in his teeth.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny and Miss Evangelista were sitting on a bench.

"It's... weird," Jenny commented. "We walked through town, and I bought a drink and I offered you one, but you said you didn't want anything. So then I drank it all on our walk down here and threw it away, and we sat down to wait for Donna."

"But I only spoke to you last just a few seconds ago, just like Donna received my letter a few seconds ago," Miss Evangelista said.

"I know," Jenny agreed. "That's what makes it so weird." Jenny looked up as she saw Donna.

"All right, you two, off you go. No fighting." Donna sent her children off to play, then sat down next to them.

"I got your note last night," she said. "The world is wrong. What does that mean?"

"No, you didn't," Miss Evangelista said.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You didn't get my note last night. You got it a few seconds ago. Having decided to come, you suddenly found yourself arriving. That is how time progresses here, in the manner of a dream. You've noticed it before, Donna Noble, as has Jenny."

"How do you know me?" Donna asked.

"We met before, in the library," Miss Evangelista said. "And you met Jenny while with the Doctor and Martha Jones on the planet Messaline. But when we met, you were kind to me. I hope now to return that kindness."

"Your voice. I recognize it."

"Yes, you do. I am what is left of Miss Evangelista." Donna looked at her.

"I'm Jenny," Jenny said. "I sort of remember you. It's like you were there... but you weren't."

"I suggested we meet here because a playground is the easiest place to see it. To see the lie."

"What lie?" Donna asked.

"The children. Look at the children." Donna glanced over, but seeing nothing, turned back.

"Why do you wear that veil? If I had a face like yours I wouldn't hide it."

"You remember my face, then? The memories are still there. The library, the Doctor, me. You've just been programmed not to look."

"Sorry, but you're dead," Donna said.

"In a way, we're all dead here, Donna. We are the dead of the library."

"Well, what about the children? The children aren't dead. My children aren't dead." Donna's voice rose slightly.

"You're children were never alive," Miss Evangelista said bluntly, and Donna glared.

"Don't you say that. Don't you dare say that about my children!"

"Look at the playground, Donna," Jenny said, gazing at the laughing kids. "Look at all of the children, look at all of them, really look." Donna looked over, and her eyes widened when she realized that the children were all copies. "They aren't real. They're all the same girl and the same boy over and over again."

"Stop it," Donna snapped. "Just stop it, the both of you. Why are you doing this? Why are you wearing that veil?"

She snatched the black fabric away from Miss Evangelista's head, and screamed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"You know, it's funny. I keep wishing the Doctor was here."

River was pacing. Night had fallen. Anita was standing perfectly still, while Lux wasn't doing much of anything.

"The Doctor is here, isn't he?" Anita asked. "He is coming back, right?" River glanced over at her.

"You know when you see a photograph of someone you know, but it's from years before you knew them and it's like they're not quite finished? They're not done yet? Well, yes, the Doctor's here. He came when I called, just like he always does. But not my Doctor. Now my Doctor, I've seen whole armies turn and run away, and he'd just swagger off back to his TARDIS and open the door with a snap of his fingers. The Doctor in the TARDIS, next stop: everywhere."

"Spoilers," the Doctor said, coming into the room. "Nobody can open a TARDIS by snapping their fingers, it doesn't work like that."

"It does for the Doctor," she replied.

"I am the Doctor."

"Yeah, some day."

"How are you doing?" he asked Anita.

"Where's Other Dave?" River asked.

"Not coming," the Doctor said grimly. "Sorry."

"Well, if they've taken him, why haven't they taken me yet?" Anita asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor responded. "Maybe tinting your visor's making a difference." She still had two shadows, but she was perfectly healthy for now.

"It's making a difference alright," she responded. "No one's ever going to see my face again."

"Can I get you anything?" he asked.

"An old age would be nice. Anything you can do?" she asked.

"I'm all over it," he responded.

"Doctor, when we first met you, you didn't trust Professor Song," Anita said. "And then she whispered a word in your ear, and you did. I could do with a word like that. What did she say?" At his silence, she continued. "Give a dead girl a break. Your secrets are safe with me."

"Safe," the Doctor said, and you could almost see the lightbulb turning on.

"What?" Anita asked.

"Safe. You don't say saved. Nobody says saved. You say safe. The data fragment! What did it say?"

"Four thousand and twenty two people saved. No survivors," Lux responded.

"Doctor?" River asked.

"Nobody says saved," he said, working himself up. "Nutters say saved. You say safe. You see, it didn't mean safe. It meant, literally, saved!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Where are we?" Donna asked. "Why are the children all the same?"

"The same pattern," Jenny said. "Over and over. It saves an awful lot of space."

"Space?" Donna questioned, although it was Miss Evangelista who answered.

"Cyberspace. You're physical self is stored as an energy signature. It can be actualized again whenever you or the library requires."

"The Library?" Donna asked. "If my face ends up on one of those statues..."

"I'd hate to see Dad's reaction if it was mine," Jenny muttered.

"You remember the statues?" Miss Evangelista asked.

"Wait, no, hang on. This isn't the real me? This isn't my real body? But I've been dieting!" Jenny laughed at her friend, while Miss Evangelista just continued speaking.

"What you see around you, this entire world, is nothing more than virtual reality."

"So why do you look like that?" Donna asked her.

"I had no choice. You teleported. You're a perfect reproduction. I was just a data ghost caught in the wi-fi and uploaded."

"And it made you clever?" Jenny asked, who had been wondering the same thing but hadn't asked.

"We're only strings of numbers in here. I think a decimal point may have shifted in my IQ. But my face has been the bigger advantage. I have the two qualities you require to see absolute truth. I am brilliant and unloved. Donna, you were just ordinary. You have people that love you. You were blind. Jenny, you are smart, but you remember that you were loved. You can only see some of the time." Jenny didn't really know what to say.

"But if this is all a dream, whose dream is it?" Donna asked.

"It's hard to see everything in the data core, even for me, but there is a word. Just one word. Cal."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

An alarm started to sound, the lighting suddenly red.

"What is it?" Lux asked. "What's wrong?"

"What's maximum erasure?" River asked.

"In twenty minutes, this planet's going to crack like an egg," the Doctor responded.

"No, no, it's alright," Lux said, not believing him. "The Doctor Moon will stop it. It's programmed to protect Cal."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Mummy, my knee!" Donna's daughter had fallen from the swing.

"Oh, look at that knee! Look at that silly old knee!" Jenny sighed.

"She's not real," Miss Evangelista said. "They're fictions, sustained only by your belief. Now that you understand that, you won't be able to keep a hold."

"You don't know. You don't have children!"

"Neither do you."

"I'm so sorry, Donna," Jenny said quietly.

"Donna, for your own sake, let them go!"

"Mummy," Donna's daughter said. "What did the lady mean? Are we not real?"

"Where are we going?" her son asked.

"Home!" Donna said, and pulled them away, not once looking back at the two.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

At home, they curled up on the couch.

"That was quick, wasn't it, Mummy?" her son said.

"Mummy, what's wrong with the sky?"

Outside, the sky was red and an alarm was blaring.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The terminal screen the Doctor was at went blank.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" he shouted.

The alarm continued to blare.

"We've got to stop this," Lux said. "We've got to save Cal."

"What is it?" the Doctor demanded. "What's Cal?"

"We need to get to the main computer," he responded. "I'll show you."

"It's at the core of the planet."

River pointed her sonic at the library emblem in the center of the floor, which slid open.

"Gravity platform," she said.

"I bet I like you," the Doctor said.

"Oh, you do," she responded.

The four stepped onto the platform, which began to descend. At the bottom, the Doctor leaped off and looked around. There was a globe of swirling energy above them.

_"Autodestruct in fifteen minutes_,_"_ the computer said.

"The data core," the Doctor said, gazing at the globe and ignoring the computer. "Over four thousand living minds trapped inside of it."

"Yeah, well, they won't be living for much longer," River said. "We're running out of time."

The Doctor ran over to an access terminal.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Miss Evangelista?" Jenny asked, calmly staring upwards at the red sky.

"Yes, Jenny?" she responded in the same calm tone.

"I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Jenny."

"Miss Evangelista?"

"Yes, Jenny?"

"I'll tell people about you. That way you'll be remembered. You saved my life."

"I... Thank you, Jenny."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Help me. Please, help me." They all stopped.

"What's that?" Anita asked.

"Was that a child?" River said.

"The computer's in sleep mode. I can't wake it up. I'm trying."

"Doctor, these readings..." River said, leaning over his shoulder at the terminal.

"I know. You'd think it was dreaming."

"It is dreaming. It's dreaming of a normal life, and a lovely dad, and of every book ever written." Lux said this all quite calmly, looking at them.

"Computers don't dream," Anita pointed out.

"Help me. Please help me."

"No, but little girls do," Lux said. He pulled a lever, and a door slid open. They all ran in, stopping at a Node turned to face them.

"Please help me. Please help me." It was the little girl from earlier.

"Oh my God," River gasped.

"It's the little girl!" Anita said. "The girl we saw in the computer!"

"She's not in the computer," Lux corrected. "In a way, she is the computer. The main command node. This is Cal." The Doctor turned on him.

"Cal is a child? A child hooked up to a mainframe? Why didn't you tell me this? I needed to know this!" He was almost shouting.

"Because she's family!" Lux shouted back. "Cal. Charlotte Abigail Lux. My grandfather's youngest daughter. She was dying, so he built her a library and put her living mind inside, with a moon to watch over her and all of human history to pass the time. Any era to live in, any book to read. She loved books more than anything, and he gave her all of them. He only asked that she be kept alone in peace. A secret, not a freak show."

"So you weren't protecting a patent, you were protecting her," the Doctor murmured.

"This is only half a life of course," Lux conceded. "But it's forever."

"And then the shadows came," said the Doctor.

"The shadows," Cal agreed. "I have to. I have to save. Have to save."

"And she saved them. She saved everyone in the library, folded them into her dreams and kept them safe."

"Then why didn't she tell us?" Anita asked.

"Because she's forgotten," the Doctor said, looking at the Node. "She's got over four thousand living minds chatting away inside her head. It must be being like... well... me."

"So what do we do?" River asked.

"Easy!" the Doctor said. "We beam all the people out of the data core. The computer will reset and stop the countdown. Difficult. Charlotte doesn't have enough memory space left to make the transfer. Easy! I'll hook myself up to the computer. She can borrow my memory space."

"Difficult," River scoffed. "It'll kill you stone dead!"

"Yeah, it's easy to criticize."

"It'll burn out both your hearts and don't think you'll regenerate."

"I'll try my hardest not to die. Honestly, it's my main thing."

"Doctor!"

"I'm right, this works. Shut up," he snapped. "Now listen. You and Luxy boy, back up to the main library. Prime any data cells you can find for maximum download, and before you say anything else, Professor, can I just mention in passing as you're here, shut up."

"I hate you sometimes!" she snapped.

"I know!" he responded. River glared.

"Mister Lux, with me. Anita, if he dies, I'll kill him!" River and Lux left, leaving the Doctor at the terminal and Anita still standing there.

"What about the Vashta Nerada?" Anita asked.

"These are their forests," the Doctor responded. "I'm going to seal Charlotte inside her little world, take everybody else away. The shadows can swarm to their hearts' content."

"So you think they're just going to let us go?"

"Best offer they're going to get."

"You're going to make them an offer?"

"They'd better take it, because right now I'm finding it very hard to make any kind of offer. You know what? I liked Anita. She was brave, even when she was crying. And you never gave in. And then you at her." Without turning, he aimed the sonic at her and cleared the mask to reveal a skeleton. "But I'm going to let that pass, just as long as you let them pass."

"How long have you known?"

"I counted the shadows," he said. "You only have one now. She's nearly gone." He looked at the neural relay, which was flickering at one bar. "Be kind."

"These are our forests. We are not kind."

"I'm giving you back your forests, but you are giving me them. You are letting them go."

"These are our forests. They are our meat."

Shadows began to stretch outwards, reaching for the Doctor with inky tendrils across the ground.

"Don't play games with me," he said darkly. "You killed someone I liked. That is not a good place to stand. I'm the Doctor, and you're in the biggest library in the world. Look me up."

There was a pause, and then the shadows retreated.

"You have one day."

Then the spacesuit collapsed.

"Oh, Anita," River said sadly, coming back into the room.

"I'm sorry. She's been dead a while now. I told you to go!"

"Lux can manage without me," she shrugged. "You can't." He turned around, only for her to punch him in the face and cause him to fall to the floor, unconscious.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Oh, no, no, no, no. Come on, what are you doing?" The Doctor stared at River, who was sitting in a makeshift chair and twisted bunches of wires together. "That's my job!"

"Oh, and I'm not allowed to have a career, I suppose?" she retorted. The Doctor tried to move forwards, but he was handcuffed to a pole. His sonic screwdriver was sitting on top of her diary, but it was too far away for him to reach.

"Why am I handcuffed?" he asked, tugging on the handcuffs again. "Why do you even have handcuffs?"

"Spoilers," she said again.

"This is not a joke," he snapped, stretching forwards in another attempt to reach the sonic. "Stop this now. This is going to kill you! I'd have a chance, you don't have any." She didn't look at him, continuing to twist and attach wires.

"You wouldn't have a chance, and neither do I," she responded, glancing over at the computer. On the screen was a countdown to the autodestruct. "I'm timing it for the end of the countdown. There'll be a blip in the command flow. That way it should improve our chances of having a clean download."

"River, please," he begged. "No."

"Funny thing is," she said sadly, "this means you've always known how I was going to die. All the time we've been together, you knew I was coming here. The last time I saw you, the real you, the future you, I mean-" She was rambling now, and the Doctor, helpless, just listened. "-you turned up on my doorstep, with a new haircut and a suit. You took me to Darillium to see the Singing Towers." A sad smile spread across her features, and there were tears forming in her eyes. "The Towers sang, and you cried."

_"Autodestruct in one minute,"_ the terminal announced.

"You wouldn't tell me why, but I suppose you knew it was time. My time. Time to come to the library. You even gave me your screwdriver." The Doctor lunged for it again, but the diary and the screwdrivers remained stubbornly out of reach. "That should have been a clue." She shook her head at his attempts. "There's nothing you can do."

"You can let me do this," he said, begging again.

"If you die here, it'll mean I never met you," she responded.

"Time can be rewritten." She glared at him.

"Not those times, not one line. Don't you dare." He shook his head, and she gave a watery smile. "It's okay. It's okay. It's not over for you. You'll see me again. You've got all of that time to come. You and me, time and space. You watch us run."

"River, you know my name."

She didn't say anything.

_"Autodestruct in ten."_

"You whispered my name in my ear."

_"Nine. Eight. Seven."_

"There's only one reason I would ever tell anyone my name. There's only one time I could."

"Hush now," she said softly, her voice choked up from the effort of not crying.

_"Four. Three."_

"Spoilers."

_"Two. One."_

River snapped two of the power cables together, blinding the Doctor with a bright light.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

A bright light began to surround them, and Jenny smiled at Miss Evangelista.

"It was good knowing you," she said, smiling.

"And you, Jenny," she replied. "Good luck."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny blinked, looking around. She was standing amidst hundreds of other people in a crowd, all of them dressed in black. Glancing down at herself, she found that she was still wearing the clothes she had on before, although she wasn't sure why...

She shook her head as thoughts rammed against each other in her mind, conflicting. Miss Evangelista... The library data core... Donna... Dad!

"Dad!" she shouted, looking around, although she didn't see her father, no head of spiky brown hair or long brown coat. "Dad! Where are you?"

She started pushing through crowds of people, before seeing Mister Lux at one of the desks.

"Mister Lux!" she called, and the man turned away from one person and looked at her. "Mister Lux, where's the Doctor?" He motioned in a vague direction, and she ran off, finding Donna along the way and dragging her with her.

They got onto a platform in one of the rooms, which started to descend. Donna seemed rather subdued, although she had good reason to. Jenny wasn't sure if there was anything she could say in comfort, so she didn't say anything at all. She got off the platform, Donna right behind her.

"Doctor?" Donna called. "Are you down here, Spaceman?"

"Dad!" Jenny shouted.

"Donna?" came a distant response. "Jen?" Jenny took off, skidding to a halt as she saw her father handcuffed to a pole, morose and gazing sadly at a mesh of wires. Jenny's smile faded as she knelt down next to him.

"River sacrificed herself," she whispered. It wasn't a question, she was simply stating what she knew to be true, despite not wanting to believe it. "Didn't she." He nodded, and Jenny picked up the diary and the two sonics, handing his to him. He uncuffed himself, and the three left.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Any luck?" Jenny asked as Donna returned. She shook her head.

"There wasn't even anyone called Lee in the library that day. I suppose he could have had a different name out here, but, let's be honest. He wasn't real, was he?" Jenny gave her friend a comforting hug.

"Maybe not," the Doctor responded.

"I made up the perfect man. Gorgeous, adores me, and hardly able to speak a word. What's that say about me?"

"Everything." Donna glared while Jenny restrained a laugh. "Sorry, did I say everything? I meant to say nothing. I was aiming for nothing. I accidentally said everything."

"What about you?" Donna asked. "Are you all right?"

"I'm always all right," he responded, and Jenny put an arm around him.

"Is 'all right' special Time Lord code for 'really not all right at all'?" He looked at Donna.

"Why?"

"Because I'm all right, too." He gave a sad smile.

"Come on."

They began the trek back to the TARDIS, although on the way there Jenny set River's diary and screwdriver on the railing of a balcony.

"Your friend, Professor River Song," Donna said, gazing at the blue book that looked so similar to the TARDIS. "She knew you in the future, but she didn't know me. What happens to me? Because when she heard my name, the way she looked at me..." The Doctor shrugged.

"This is her diary, though, yeah?" Jenny said, and continued at his nod. "It's her past, your future. We could look you up, see what happens. Do you want to?" Donna shook her head.

"Spoilers, right?"

"Right," the Doctor agreed. "Come on, the next chapter's this way."

They started up the stairs, but then the Doctor ran back and grabbed the sonic, looking at it. Jenny and Donna followed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_When you run with the Doctor, it feels like it will never end. But however hard you try, you can't run forever. Everybody knows that everybody dies, and nobody knows it like the Doctor. But I do think that all of the skies of all the worlds might just turn dark if he ever, for one moment, accepts it._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Why would I give her my screwdriver? Why? Why would I do that? Thing is, future me had years to think about it, all those years to think of a way to save her, and what he did was give her a screwdriver. Why would I do that?" Jenny's eyes widened as she saw a flashing neural relay on the side of the device.

"Dad!" she said, looking between him and the light.

"Oh! Oh! Oh, look at that, I'm very good!" He took off.

"What have you done?" Donna shouted at his retreating form.

"Saved her!" he called over his shoulder.

He tore past stacks of books and crowds of people teleporting out, leaping over banisters and jumping down whole flights of stairs.

"Stay with me!" he said under his breath as one of the lights went out. "You can do it, stay with me! Come on, you and me, one last run!" He burst into the room and used his own sonic on the gravity platform. "Sorry River. Shortcut!"

_"Gravity platform disabled."_

He dove down the hole in the floor as the last light on the relay started flickering.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_Everybody knows that everybody dies. But not every day_.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor jammed the sonic into the core of the computer, and electricity surged through it as the imprint of her consciousness flooded into the circuitry.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_Not today._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Charlotte Node smiled as the Doctor laughed, looking up at the core. He glanced back at her and then returned the smile.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

River looked around, wearing a loose white robe and blinking in the sunlight. Charlotte and Doctor Moon walked up to her.

"It's okay," Charlotte said. "You're safe. You'll always be safe here. The Doctor fixed the data core. This is a good place now. But I was worried you might be lonely, so I brought you some friends. Aren't I a clever girl?"

"Aren't we all?" Miss Evangelista asked. Anita, Proper Dave, and Other Dave were walking next to her, and River laughed.

"Oh, for heaven's sake. He just can't do it, can he? That man. That impossible man. He just can't give in!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor stood in front of the TARDIS. He reached into his pocket to get the key, but then he paused.

Taking a step back, he snapped his fingers and the door swung open, bathing him in golden light. Jenny and Donna smiled at him as he walked inside. Then he turned and snapped his fingers again, and the doors closed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_Some days are special. Some days are so, so blessed. Some days, nobody dies at all. Now and then, every once in a very long while, every day in a million days, when the wind stands fair and the Doctor comes to call..._

_Everybody lives._

_Sweet dreams, everyone._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**I figured I'd give you this chapter a day early. No particular reason, I'm just feeling nice. _Midnight_ will be up next Thursday, and we get to see some of Jenny's soldier persona coming through. Two more episodes after that and we're done with Series Four!**


	5. Midnight

Jenny bounced from foot to foot as her dad dialed a number on the phone.

"Do you think she'll come this time?" he asked as he waited for someone to pick up.

"I dunno, but I hope so," she said brightly. "I really, really hope so. I mean, sapphire waterfalls? How cool is that?" She was incredibly excited, this being the fourth planet she'd been to in the past couple weeks, and what a gorgeous planet it was! The entire planet was literally a giant diamond.

"Shh, she answered," he replied, and Jenny moved closer so she could hear.

_"I said, no."_

"Sapphire waterfall!" the Doctor said brightly. "It's a waterfall made of sapphires! This enormous jewel, the size of a glacier!" Jenny pulled the phone away from him, ignoring his glare.

"It reaches the Cliffs of Oblivion, and then it shatters into sapphires at the edge. They fall a hundred thousand feet into a crystal ravine, and the Xtonic sunlight hitting them as they fall... it looks like it's on fire!"

_"I bet you say that to everyone."_ Jenny sighed.

"Don't be a party pooper, Donna! Come with us!" The Doctor pulled the phone back.

"They're boarding now. It's no fun if we aren't all there. Four hours, that's all it takes." Donna's sigh was audible through the phone.

_"Four hours there, and four hours back. That's like a school trip! I'd rather go sunbathing."_ Jenny tried to pull the phone to her again, but the Doctor wouldn't let her so she just settled for speaking loudly.

"That's Xtonic sunlight, but don't let it worry you. The glass is fifteen feet thick."

_"That's what it said in the brochure,"_ came the response. The Doctor sighed.

"All right, I give up. I'll be back for dinner. We'll try that anti-gravity resteraunt."

"With bibs," Jenny added as an afterthought.

_"It's a date. Well, not a date. Oh, you know what I mean. Oh, get off."_

"See you later!" Jenny said brightly.

_"Oi!" _Donna said, just as they were about to hang up the phone. _"You two be careful, all right?"_

"Nah," the Doctor said with an impish grin. "Taking a big space truck with a bunch of strangers across a diamond planet called Midnight? What could possibly go wrong?" He hung the phone up, and father and daughter boarded the shuttle, sitting in their seats. Other people were still boarding.

"I'm your older brother for this," the Doctor said in a quiet tone so that nobody would hear. "And none of this 'he's not right in the head' business." Jenny laughed.

"Yes, brother dearest," she said, smiling. The hostess walked up to them and began handing them things, most of which the Doctor passed over to Jenny.

"That's the headphones for channels one to thirty-six," she said. "Modem link for 3D vidgames. Complimentary earplugs, complimentary slippers, complimentary juice pack, and complimentary peanuts. I must warn you that some products contain nuts."

"That'll be the peanuts, then?" Jenny said with a grin. The hostess just smiled.

"Enjoy your trip." The Doctor bounced in his seat.

"Oh, I can't wait. Allons-y!" The hostess paused.

"I'm sorry?" she asked, looking back.

"It's French," Jenny explained. "For 'let's go'."

"Fascinating," the woman replied, and moved on to the next passengers, an older man and a young woman behind them. Jenny looked at her dad.

"Shame Donna couldn't come," she said. "But I think she's happier in the spa. Could you really picture her sitting in this bus for eight hours?" The Doctor laughed.

"Nah, suppose you're right, Jen. Can't really picture her sitting here, no." Jenny laughed with him, then looked down at the pile of things she was holding.

"Why do I have all these?" she asked. He shrugged.

"'Cause I handed them to you." Jenny rolled her eyes, then twisted around slightly when the people behind them started talking to them.

"Hobbes, Professor Winfield Hobbes," the man said, offering his hand. The Doctor shook it, while Jenny smiled.

"I'm Jenny," she said. "I'd shake your hand, but _somebody_-" She glanced pointedly at the Doctor. "-has me holding everything. This is my brother, Doctor John Smith." Hobbes smiled.

"It's my fourteenth time," he said proudly. Jenny's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh," the Doctor said, impressed. "Our first." The woman next to Hobbes, perhaps his assistant, stood up, offering her hand as well.

"I'm Dee Dee, Dee Dee Blasco," she said. Jenny smiled at her, although her smile dimmed slightly when Hobbes spoke up.

"Don't bother them," he snapped. "Where's my water bottle?" The Doctor and Jenny turned back so they were sitting normally, and Jenny dumped most of the stuff she was holding in the Doctor's lap, keeping the juice pack, peanuts, and earplugs for herself. He looked at her.

"Why are you keeping the food?" he asked.

"Payback for blowing up the toaster and having me go without waffles for a week until you finally bothered to fix it." He nodded his head, conceding.

"Good point."

A few minutes later, the boarding was complete and everyone was seated. The hostess got up front and began speaking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon, welcome on board the Crusader Fifty. If you would fasten your seatbelts, we'll be leaving any moment. Doors." The doors all slid shut. "Shields down." Shields covered the windows as well. "I'm afraid the view is shielded until we reach the Waterfall Palace. Also, a reminder, Midnight has no air, so please don't touch the exterior door seals. Fire exit at the rear, and should we need to use it, you first. Now I will hand you over to Driver Joe." A voice came in, crackling over the speakers.

_"Driver Joe at the wheel. There's been a diamondfall at the Winter Witch Canyon,, so we'll be taking a slight detour, as you'll see on the map. The journey covers five hundred kliks to the Multifaceted Coast. Duration is estimated at four hours. Thank you for traveling with us, and as they used to say in the olden days, wagons roll."_

The shuttle began to shake a little as it took off, and the hostess stood up to speak again.

"For your entertainment, we have the Music Channel playing retrovids of Earth classics."

Little screens came down in front of them and began playing an old music video.

"Also, the latest artistic installation from Ludovic Klein."

Holographic projectors began casting wild colors about. Jenny glanced around before opening the bag with the earplugs.

"Plus, for the youngsters, a rare treat. The Animation Archives."

A normal projector began playing a cartoon with Betty Boop against the door which led to the drivers.

"Four hours of fun time. Enjoy."

Jenny put the earplugs in. A blonde woman with a book glanced up, looking incredibly irritated.

The Doctor glanced over at her, then nudged her shoulder, holding up the sonic when she looked over, and discreetly pointed it in the air. A moment later, everything went silent. Jenny grinned and took the earplugs out.

"Well, that's a mercy," Hobbes said from behind them. The hostess came back out.

"I do apologize, ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon. We seem to have a failure of the Entertainment System."

"Oh," the Doctor said in mock-disappointment.

"Shame," Jenny said in the same tone, shaking her head.

"We've got four hours of this?" a man sitting with his wife asked. Jenny saw a younger, teenage boy sitting in the back who was probably their son. "Four hours of just sitting here?"

A slow grin spread across Jenny's face.

"Tell you what," she said, turning so she could see everyone. "We'll have to talk to each other instead!"

The Doctor grinned at everyone's expressions.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**98 klicks later...**

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor was off talking with the husband and wife, whose names turned out to be Biff and Val, while Jenny slipped into the back seat next to their son, Jethro. He glanced up and looked at her, taking his headphones out.

"Here with your parents?" she asked, nodding over to the Doctor and the couple laughing. He nodded, rolling his eyes.

"They're so embarrassing sometimes," he muttered. "I mean, really, acting like that-" He motioned to where Biff was pinching his nose and talking in a nasally voice. "-in public?" Jenny laughed.

"That's my brother there," she said, nodding at the Doctor. "You wouldn't believe how often he's started talking and got himself into trouble from what he said. It's insane."

Jethro actually cracked a smile before putting his headphones back.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**150 klicks later...**

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor, Jenny, and Dee Dee were getting themselves drinks.

"I'm just a second-year student," Dee Dee was saying, "but I wrote a paper on the Lost Moon of Poosh. Professor Hobbes read it, liked it, and took me on as researcher, just for the holidays. Well, I say researcher. Most of the time he's just got me fetching and carrying. But it's all good experience."

"Did they ever find it?" Jenny asked.

"Find what?"

"The Lost Moon of Poosh," the Doctor clarified. Dee Dee shook her head.

"Oh, no. Not yet."

"Well, maybe that'll be your great discovery one day." He raised his glass. "Here's to Poosh."

"To Poosh!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**209 klicks later...**

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny was leaning up against one of the seats, poking at her meal with a fork while the Doctor and the older blonde were were sitting in seats next to one another.

"So is it just you two?" the woman was asking.

"No, no, we're with this friend of ours, Donna. She stayed behind in the Leisure Palace," the Doctor said. "You?" She shook her head.

"No, it's just me." The Doctor nodded.

"Oh, I've done plenty of that. Traveling on my own. I love it. Do what you want, go anywhere..."

"No, I'm still getting used to it," she replied. "I've found myself single rather recently, not by choice."

"What happened?" Jenny asked, curious.

"Oh, the usual," she said with a sigh. "She needed her own space, as they say. A different galaxy, in fact. I reckon that's enough space, don't you?" The Doctor nodded again.

"Yeah, I had a friend who went to a different universe." Jenny frowned, taking a bite of her food. She hadn't heard about that.

"Oh, what's this?" the woman asked suddenly. "Chicken or beef?" Jenny chewed thoughtfully on her food for a moment.

"I think it's both."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**251 klicks later...**

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The passengers on the shuttle sat in a respectful silence as Professor Hobbes gave an illustrated lecture on the planet of Midnight. Even Jethro appeared to be mildly interested, having taken one of his headphones out.

"So this is Midnight, do you see, bombarded by the sun. Xtonic rays, raw galvanic radiation. Dee Dee, next slide." Dee Dee pressed a button on a remote, and the projection changed. "It's my pet project. Actually, I'm the first person to research this. Because, you see, the history is fascinating. Because there is no history! There's no life in this entire system. There couldn't be. Before the Leisure Palace Company moved in, no one had come here in all eternity. No living thing."

Jethro raised his hand and started speaking.

"But how do you know? I mean, if no one can go outside."

"Oh, his imagination," Val groaned. "Here we go."

"He's got a point," Jenny mused, eating a peanut. "We're _all_ just humans, you know, delicate little things compared to some species. What's to say that there isn't something else out there that could survive the radiation." The Doctor was positively beaming.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Jen," he said proudly.

"Exactly," Hobbes said with a nod. "We look upon this world through glass, safe inside our metal box. Even the Leisure Palace was lowered down from orbit. And here we are now, crossing Midnight, but never touching it."

The lights flickered and the shuttle screeched and ground to a halt.

Jenny glanced up in surprise, the Doctor blinked a few times, and everyone else looked around in confusion.

"We've stopped. Have we stopped?" Val asked.

"Are we there?" Biff echoed.

"We can't be, it's too soon," Dee Dee said.

"They don't stop," Hobbes said authoritatively. "Crusader vehicles never stop."

"If you could just return to your seats?" the hostess said, emerging into the passenger section of the shuttle. "It's just a small delay."

"Maybe it's just a pit stop," Biff said, trying to reassure his wife.

"What's going on?" the hostess asked, speaking into a phone that probably connected to the cockpit.

"There's no pit to stop in," Hobbes snapped. "I've been on this expedition fourteen times. They never stop."

"We've broken down," Jethro said ominously.

"Thanks, Jethro," Val said, sarcasm plainly evident in her tone.

"In the middle of nowhere," he continued.

"That's enough, now stop it," Biff said sternly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon," the hostess said, hanging the phone up. "We're just experiencing a short delay. The driver needs to stabilize the engine feeds. It's perfectly routine, so if you could just stay in your seats..." The Doctor looked over at Jenny, who grinned, and they both got up and moved towards the cockpit door.

"No, I'm sorry sir, ma'am. Could you please-?" The hostess tried to move them back to their seats, but the Doctor held up the psychic paper.

"There you go. Doctor John Smith, engine expert, and my assistant, Jenny Smith. Two ticks." The Doctor opened the door and the two stepped in, the hostess still trying to return them to their seats.

"I'm sorry sir, ma'am, if you could just sit down. You're not supposed to be in there!" Two men in the pilot seats turned around.

"Sorry," one of them said. Jenny recognized him by his voice as Driver Joe. "If you could return to your seat, sir, ma'am."

"Company insurance," the Doctor replied. Jenny shut the door behind them. "So, what's the problem, Driver Joe?"

"We're stabilizing the engine feeds," he explained, fiddling with some buttons and levers. "Won't take long." The Doctor raised and eyebrow and looked over at Jenny.

"Analysis, Jen?" She looked around.

"Well, that's the engine feed there, that line." She pointed to the screen. "And if that's the engine feed, then the engine feed is working perfectly fine. Also, this is the 47th century, everything's powered with micropetrol engines. Stabilizing doesn't make sense, because micropetrol doesn't stabilize." The Doctor nodded.

"Exactly." The two men sighed.

"We just stopped," said the other man, motioning around. "Look, all systems fine, everything's working, but we're not moving." The Doctor pulled out the sonic and scanned the controls, then read the results.

"Yeah," he agreed, "you're right. No faults. And who are you?"

"Claude," the man replied. "I'm the mechanic. Trainee."

"Nice to meet you," the Doctor said cheerfully.

"I've sent a distress signal," Joe cut in. "They should dispatch a rescue truck, top speed."

"How long till they get here?" Jenny asked.

"About an hour," Joe responded. Jenny glanced over at her dad, who had an expression on his face that made her think he was about to do something reckless, although she wasn't quite sure.

"Well, since we're waiting, shall we take a look outside?"

No, she was right.

"Just lift the screens a bit?"

They all stared at him as though he had grown a second head.

"It's a hundred percent Xtonic out there. We'd be vaporised!" Joe said, shaking his head.

"Nah, those windows are Finitoglass," he countered. "They'd give you a couple of minutes. Go on, live a little."

"Well..." Joe said slowly, thinking about it for a moment, but then he pressed a button and the metal screens that covered the windows rose up in front of them. "Wow."

"That's just... fantastic," Jenny breathed eyes wide.

"Beautiful," the Doctor echoed.

Stretching in front of them was the surface of Midnight. It was all a blinding white, the sky, the sun, the ground. The rock underneath them was diamond, and it gleamed and glittered in the sunlight. Snow-covered cliffs rose up ahead of them in the distance.

"Look at all those diamonds," Claude said, leaning forward. "Poisoned by the sun. No one can ever touch them."

"Joe, you said we took a detour?" the Doctor asked, looking over at the driver. He nodded.

"Just about forty klicks to the west."

"Is it a recognized path?" he asked.

"No, it's a new one. The computer worked it out on automatic."

"So we're the first," the Doctor said softly, gazing out onto the surface. No one's ever been here before. Not in the whole of recorded history." Jenny grinned.

"Did you just-?" Claude started, squinting into the light. "No, sorry, it's nothing."

"What did you see?" Jenny asked, looking over at him and trying to follow his gaze.

"Just there." He pointed outwards. "That ridge. Like, like a shadow. Just for a second."

"What sort of shadow?"

There was a beeping noise, and Joe reached over to a set of controls.

"Xtonic rising. Shields down." The shields started to lower, but then Claude gave a sort of half-leap out of his seat.

"Look, look! There it is, there is is. Look, there!" Jenny leaned forwards, as did her dad, but the shields closed before they could see anything.

"Where, what was it?" Jenny asked, looking at Claude.

"Like – just something shifting," he stammered. "Something sort of dark, like it was running." He looked over at them.

"Running which way?" the Doctor asked calmly.

"Towards us." There was a moment of silence, but then Driver Joe had enough and sent them out of the compartment.

"Right, Doctor, Jenny, back to your seats. And, er, not a word. Rescue's on its way. If you could just close the door... Thank you."

The two left the cockpit and were bombarded with questions.

"What did they say?" the blonde asked. "Did they tell you? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Oh, just stabilizing," the Doctor said dismissively. "Happens all the time."

"Back to your seats, thank you," the hostess said, trying to regain some control before going into the cockpit.

"Excuse me, Doctor, but they're micropetrol engines, aren't they?" Dee Dee said, speaking up.

"Now, don't bother the man," Hobbes snapped at her, but she ignored him.

"My father was a mechanic. Micropetrol doesn't stabilize. What does stabilize mean?"

"Well, just some flim-flam," Jenny said. "They're sorting it out, don't worry. Just don't panic, 'cause there's nothing wrong."

"So it's not the engines?" Hobbes asked.

"It's just a pause, that's all," the Doctor assured.

"How much air have we got?" Hobbes continued his speculation.

"Professor, it's fine," the Doctor said.

"What did he say?" Val asked.

"Nothing," Jenny said.

"Are we running out of air?"

The hostess came back into the passenger section.

"I was just speculating," Hobbes defended himself.

"Is that right, miss?" Biff asked the hostess. "Are we running out of air?"

"Is that what the Captain said?" continued Val.

"If you could all just remain calm-" The hostess was still attempting to calm everyone, although it wasn't working.

"How much air have we got?" Val asked.

"Mum, just stop it," Jethro groaned.

"I assure you, everything is under control," the hostess repeated.

"Well, it doesn't look like it to me," Biff grumbled.

"Well, he said it."

"It's fine, the air is on a circular filter," Dee Dee said, although nobody heard her.

"He started it."

Everyone started talking at once, and Jenny glanced at her dad before standing up in one of the seats and letting out a shrill whistle. Wonderful way to get your troop's attention. Everyone paused and looked at her.

"Alright, thank you," she said. "Now, Dee Dee, I believe you were trying to say something?" Dee Dee blinked.

"Oh, um, it's just that... well... the air's on a circular filter, so we could stay breathing for ten years." Jenny smiled.

"See? We aren't running out of air. My – my brother and I have spoken to the Captain and the mechanic on board. Everything is _fine_."

_Thump. Thump._

"What was that?" Val asked, panicking. Jenny looked at her dad, but he just seemed mystified.

"It must be the metal," Hobbes said. "We're cooling down. It's settling."

"Rocks," Dee Dee suggested. "It could be rocks falling."

_Thump. Thump._

Everyone whirled around to face another part of the hull. The noises had moved.

"What is that?" the blonde woman said, sounding afraid.

"There's someone out there," Val whimpered.

"Now, don't be ridiculous!" Hobbes snapped.

"Like I said, it could be rocks," Dee Dee repeated, going for the logical solution, but hardly anybody paid attention to her.

"We're out in the open," the hostess said. "Nothing could fall against the sides."

"Dad," Jenny whispered, but couldn't finish as the noise came once again, on yet another section of the hull. Everyone spun around to face it.

_Thump. Thump._

"Knock knock," the Doctor murmured.

"Who's there?" Jethro responded, earning a glare from both of his parents.

"Is there something out there?" the blonde woman repeated. "Well? Anyone?"

_Thump. Thump._

"What the hell is making that noise?" she repeated again.

"I'm sorry, but the light out there is Xtonic," Hobbes said. He was becoming rather irritating to Jenny. "That means it would destroy any living thing in a split second." _I knew that._ "It is impossible for someone to be outside."

_Thump. Thump._

"Well, what the hell is that, then?"

To Jenny, it seemed that all the others on the bus were panicking more and more as time passed. The Doctor looked around for a couple moments, then pulled a stethoscope out of his pocket – the one Donna used to verify that Jenny had two hearts – and started moving towards the wall.

"Sir, you really should get back to your seat," the hostess said, although nobody seemed inclined to listen to her. The Doctor pressed the stethoscope to the hull.

"Hello?" he asked softly.

_Thump-thump._

It was quicker now.

"It's moving," Jethro said ominously.

The emergency exit rattled, causing everyone to jump.

"It's trying the door," Val whispered fearfully, backing away.

"_There is no it_," Hobbes said, and Jenny glared at him.

"Yes, we heard you the first fifty times," she said, and the man closed his mouth.

The emergency exit continued to rattle, then there were two thumps on the roof and two on the entrance door.

"That's the entrance," Val said, backing away again. "Can it get in?"

"No," Dee Dee assured her. "That door's on two hundred weight hydraulics." Hobbes started to admonish her, but at Jenny's glare decided against it. "What do you think it is?"

Biff began slowly creeping towards the entrance door.

"Biff, don't," Val said.

"Mister Cane," the Doctor said. "Better not." Biff glanced back at him before running a hand over the door.

"Nah, it's cast iron, that door," he said, knocking three times to prove the strength.

_Thump-thump-thump._

Everyone gasped.

"Three times!" Jenny whispered.

"Did you hear that?" Val exclaimed. "It did it three times! It did it three times!"

"It answered," Jethro said, tilting his head to one side like a curious child.

"All right, all right, all right," the Doctor said, trying to regain some order. "Everyone calm down."

"No, but it answered," the blonde said. Jenny could see the signs of a panic attack. Poor woman wouldn't last a day in battle... She squashed that train of thought. "It answered. Don't tell me that thing's not alive, it answered him!"

_Thump-thump-thump._

"I really must insist you get back to your seats," the hostess repeated, and the woman turned on her.

"No, don't just stand there telling us the rules. You're the hostess! You're supposed to do something!"

The Doctor turned back to the wall, Jenny slipping through the group to join him. He glanced over at her, then shrugged and knocked four times on the wall.

A long pause.

_Thump-thump-thump-thump._

"What is it?" the woman repeated yet again. "What the hell's making that noise? She said she'd get me. Stop it. Make it stop. Somebody make it stop." Everyone turned to stare at her. "Don't just stand there looking at me. It's not my fault. He started it with his stories." She pointed at the Doctor.

The hostess moved to the intercom.

"Calm down!" Dee Dee said.

"And he made it worse!"

"You're not helping," Val muttered. Jenny moved forwards to help the woman, but the Doctor held her back.

"Why didn't you leave it alone?" she wailed. "Stop staring at me. Just tell me what the hell it is!"

The thumping began again, echoing around the ship.

"It's coming for me," she said, her voice growing progressively louder. "Oh, it's coming for me. It's coming for me! It's coming for me! _It's coming for me!_"

She backed up until she was pressed against the door to where the drivers were, and screamed as the shuttle went dark and rocked from side to side. Sparks flew everywhere, and the entertainment system came back on momentarily as the lights went out. Jenny felt the Doctor grab her arm and pull her close so he was shielding her with his body. She felt a brief stab of annoyance, she could protect herself, but quickly squashed it, focusing on the task at hand. The shuttle stopped shaking, and everyone slowly got to their feet, checking that they were okay.

"You alright?" Biff asked his wife. She nodded. "Okay." The Doctor examined himself.

"Arms, legs, neck, head, nose... I'm fine," he said with a nod. "Jen?" She nodded.

"I'm good, D – octor," she covered. She really needed to control when she called him 'Dad' and when she had to call him something else. "Everyone else?" Murmurs rippled through the cabin, saying yes, they were all quite all right. Unnoticed, the image on one of the entertainment screens flickered before going back to normal. Then the screens retracted into the ceiling.

"Earthquake," Hobbes said shakily. "Must be."

"But that's impossible," Dee Dee countered. "The ground is fixed. It's solid."

"We've got torches," the hostess spoke up. "Everyone take a torch. They're in the back of the seats." There was a flurry of movement as everyone moved to get torches, and Val had a motherly expression on her face.

"Oh, Jethro, sweetheart, come here," she said to her son, opening her arms. Jethro shook his head.

"Never mind me, what about her?" He pointed at the blonde woman, who was crouched on the floor where the wreckage of what used to be the seats at the front of the shuttle were.

"What happened to the seats?" Val asked, looking over at where her son was pointing.

"Who did that?" Biff questioned.

"They've been ripped up," Val gasped. Jenny could see that everyone was almost on the verge of panicking, and motioned around with her hands.

"Look, it's all right. It's all right. It's over, we're still alive, the wall's still intact. See?" The terror level went down a couple of notches, and the hostess moved over to the intercom.

"Joe? Claude?" Static. "Driver Joe, can you hear me?" More static, and she turned back to the group. "I'm not getting any response. The intercom must be down." She pressed the button to open the driver's door, and a bright light blinded everybody. She slammed her hand down on the controls, and the door slid shut.

"What happened?" Val asked. "What was that?"

"Is it the driver?" Biff looked at the hostess. "Have we lost the driver?"

"The cabin's gone," the hostess said faintly, staring at the door like she couldn't believe what she was saying.

"Don't be ridiculous," Hobbes snapped. "How can it be gone?"

"Well, you saw it," Dee Dee pointed out.

"Like it was ripped away," Jenny said quietly. The Doctor moved over to a panel of wires that had been ripped open and started trying to repair it with the sonic. Biff aimed his torch so the Doctor could see it easier.

"Ah, that's better," he said cheerfully. "Little bit of light. Thank you. Molto bene."

"Do you know what you're doing?" Val asked.

"The cabin's gone," Biff warned, but didn't make any move to stop him. "You'd better leave that wall alone."

"The cabin can't be gone!" Hobbes repeated. Jenny barely restrained an eyeroll.

"No, it's safe," she said. "If there was a rupture in the hull it would have sealed itself by now." The Doctor examined the wiring, nodding at Jenny's explanation.

"Yeah, Jen's right. But look at this, something sliced it off. The cabin's gone."

"But if it get's separated...?" The hostess didn't want to finish the question.

"It loses integrity." He turned around. "I'm sorry, they've been reduced to dust. The driver and the mechanic. But they sent a distress signal. Help is on its way. They saved our lives. We are going to get out of here, I promise. We're still alive, and they are going to find us."

"Doctor, Jenny," Jethro said, looking at the woman. "Look at her." Jenny turned to see the unnamed blonde, still crouched in the rubble of the seats. The Doctor asked for a medical kit while Jenny slipped through the small group and knelt down next to her.

"Ma'am?" she asked, but there was no response. She looked at the hostess as the Doctor joined her. "What's her name?"

"Silvestry," the hostess responded. "Mrs. Sky Silvestry."

"Sky?" the Doctor said softly. "Can you hear me? Are you alright? Can you move, Sky?" None of his questions brought any response. "Just look at us."

"That noise from outside. It stopped," Jethro noted, looking around.

"Well, thank God for that," his mother said.

"But what if it's not outside anymore?" he said ominously. "What if it's inside?"

"Inside?" Now she was scared. "Where?"

"It was heading for her," Jethro pointed out, nodding at Sky.

"Sky?" Jenny said quietly, aiming the torch so it wasn't quite shining directly in her eyes. "It's all right, Sky. Can you turn around, face us?" Sky slowly turned and stared directly up at them with wide, blank eyes. "Sky?"

"Sky?" the woman echoed.

"Are you all right?" the Doctor asked.

"Are you alright?"

"Are you hurt?" he continued.

"Are you hurt?" This was starting to really make Jenny nervous, this unnatural mimicking.

"You don't have to talk."

"You don't have to talk."

"We're trying to help," Jenny said, wishing she would stop this.

"We're trying to help."

"My name is Jenny, this is the Doctor."

"My name is Jenny, this is the Doctor." Now the Doctor looked rather worried, staring at Sky with a wary expression.

"Okay, can you stop?" he asked.

"Okay, can you stop?"

"No, really, I'd like you to stop."

"No, really, I'd like you to stop."

"Why's she doing that?" Hobbes asked, and Sky's head turned to face him so quickly that Jenny thought she heard her neck crack.

"Why's she doing that?" came the echo.

"She's gone mad," Biff said in dawning horror, and Sky whipped around to face him.

"She's gone mad."

"Stop it!" Val snapped.

"Stop it!"

"I said, stop it."

"I said, stop it."

"I don't think she can," Dee Dee said, and Sky stared at her.

"I don't think she can."

"All right, stop it now. This isn't funny," Hobbes said, glaring.

"All right, stop it now. This isn't funny."

"Shush, shush, shush, all of you," the Doctor said, holding up a hand for silence.

"Shush, shush, shush, all of you."

"My name's Jethro," Jethro said with a grin.

"My name's Jethro."

"Jethro, don't," Jenny said.

"Jethro, don't."

"Why are you repeating?" the Doctor asked.

"Why are you repeating?"

"What is that, learning?"

"What is that, learning?"

"Copying?"

"Copying?"

"Absorbing?"

"Absorbing?"

Jenny took a deep breath before speaking.

"The square root of pi is 1.7724538509055160272981674833 14- Wow." Sky overlapped her about halfway through.

"The square root of pi is 1.7724538509055160272981674833 14- Wow."

"But that's impossible!" Hobbes said, staring.

"But that's impossible!"

"She couldn't repeat all that," Dee Dee said, shaking her head in something like denial.

"She couldn't repeat all that."

"Tell her to stop," Val said to her husband.

"Tell her to stop."

"She's driving me mad!"

"She's driving me mad!"

"Just make her stop!"

"Just make her stop!" Everyone began to talk over each other, with Sky still repeating every word. Jenny and the Doctor glanced around at the panic.

"Stop her staring at me. Shut her up."

"Stop her staring at me. Shut her up."

"It's got to be a trick," the hostess said.

"It's got to be a trick."

"That's impossible," Dee Dee said, shaking her head again.

"That's impossible."

"I'm telling you, whatever your name is-" Biff said, holding his wife and glaring at Sky.

"I'm telling you, whatever your name is-"

"Now, just stop it, all of you." The Doctor tried and failed to regain order.

"Now, just stop it, all of you."

"Calm down!" Jenny said, but still nobody listened.

"Calm down!"

"Her eyes," Hobbes muttered. "What's wrong with her eyes?"

"Her eyes. What's wrong with her eyes?"

"She can copy anything," Jethro said in awe.

"She can copy anything."

"Biff, don't just stand there, do something. Make her stop."

"Biff, don't just stand there, do something. Make her stop."

"You're scaring my wife," Biff said angrily to Sky.

"You're scaring my wife."

"Mrs. Silvestry," the hostess tried again.

"Mrs. Silvestry."

"Six six six," Jethro said with a grin.

"Six six six." Jenny glared at him.

"She's different," Val said, staring. "She's something else. Do something, make her stop."

"She's different. She's something else. Do something, make her stop."

Jenny plucked the sonic out of the Doctor's pocket, intending to make a very loud noise with it and hopefully get everyone to be quiet, but then the lights came on.

"That's the back-up system," the hostess explained, glancing at the lights on the ceiling.

"Well, that's a bit better," Biff said, still holding his wife. Jenny noted that Sky had stopped repeating for the time being.

"What about the rescue?" Val asked. "How long's it going to take?"

"About sixty minutes," the hostess estimated. "That's all."

"Then I suggest we all calm down," Hobbes said, and Jenny was actually grateful towards the man. "This panic isn't helping. That poor woman is evidently in a state of self-induced hysteria. We should leave her alone."

Jenny stifled a gasp. She glanced between Sky and Hobbes, but she wasn't seeing anything. Sky was repeating at the exact same time.

"Jenny..." Jethro said, staring at Sky.

"Yeah," she said with a nodded. "I see."

"Doctor, now step back," Hobbes/Sky said. "I think you should leave her... alone." They trailed off as Hobbes realized what was happening. "What's she doing?"

"How can she do that?" Val/Sky asked. "She's talking with you. And with me. Oh my God, Biff, what's she doing?"

"She's repeating, at exactly the same time," Jethro said, echoing Jenny's thoughts.

"That's impossible!" Dee Dee/Sky exclaimed.

"There's not even a delay," Hobbes/Sky whispered.

"Oh, man, that is weird," Jethro said with a lopsided grin.

"I think you should all be very, very quiet," the Doctor/Sky said. "Have you got that?"

"How's she doing it?" Val/Sky asked. Jenny sighed. Apparently they didn't.

"Mrs. Cane, please be quiet," Jenny/Sky asked.

"How can she do that?" Val/Sky asked frantically. "She's got my voice! She's got my words!"

"Come on, be quiet. Hush now. Hush," Biff/Sky said, the former trying to be comforting while the latter just continued to talk.

"Just stop it, please," Jenny/Sky repeated. "We need to be quiet, or at the very least not panic. Fear makes you more vulnerable."

"Now then, Sky," the Doctor/Sky said, crouching down next to Sky. "Are you Sky? Is Sky still in there? Mrs. Silvestry?" Sky never failed to miss a word. "You know exactly what I'm going to say. How are you doing that?" There was another pause. "Roast beef." Jenny blinked. "Bananas. Bang!" Sky continued to mimic. "Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Jenny, TARDIS. Shamble bobble dibble dooble. Oh, Doctor, you're so handsome. Yes I am, thank you. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O..."

"First she repeats," Jenny/Sky said. "Then she catches up. But what comes next?"

"What do you mean?" Dee Dee/Sky asked.

"That's not her, is it?" Jethro/Sky asked. The Doctor shook his head.

"I don't think so, no," he and Sky said at the same time. "I think the more we talk, the more she learns. Now, I'm all for education, homeschooled Jenny, believe it or not, but in this case, let's not. Let's just move back." He started ushering the small group into the back of the bus, Sky still staring at them, crouched on the floor. "Come on. Come with me. Everyone, get back, as far as you can."

"Doctor, make her stop," Val/Sky begged. "Doctor, Jenny, please." Jenny gently took her by the arm.

"Mrs. Cane, come with me. Come to the back, you don't need to look at her. You too, Jethro. Come on, we just need to wait fifty minutes, then the rescue gets here. Fifty minutes. 'Sides, she isn't strong. She only has our voices, that's it."

"I can't," Val/Sky said. She was terrified. "I can't look at her. It's those eyes."

"We must not look at goblin men," Dee Dee/Sky said softly. Jenny turned to look at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Biff/Sky asked.

"It's a poem," Jenny/Sky explained. "By Christina Rossetti. We must not look at goblin men, we must not buy their fruits."

"Who knows upon what soil they fed, their hungry, thirsty roots," Dee Dee/Sky finished. The Doctor gave Jenny a pointed look.

"I don't think that's helping," he and Sky said dryly.

"She's not a goblin, or a monster," Hobbes/Sky said. "She's just a very sick woman."

"Maybe that's why it went for her?" Jethro/Sky suggested.

"There is no _it_!" Hobbes/Sky repeated, and Jenny glared at him.

"The evidence is right in front of you, _sir_," she said along with Sky, motioning back to the blonde woman. Jethro nodded.

"Yeah, think about it. That knocking went all the way 'round the bus until it found her. And she was the most scared out of all of us. Maybe that's what it needed. That's how it got in."

"For the last time," Hobbes/Sky said stubbornly, "nothing can live on the surface of Midnight!" The Doctor sighed, his own admirable patience being pushed to the breaking point.

"Professor," he and Sky said, "I'm glad you've got an absolute definition of life in the universe, but perhaps the universe has got ideas of its own, hmm? I think there might well be some kind of consciousness inside Mrs. Silvestry, but maybe she's still in there. And it's our job to help her."

Biff remained at the back of the bus.

"You can help her, I'm not going near."

"No, I've got to stay back, because if she's copying us, then maybe the final stage is becoming us. I don't want her becoming me, or things could get a whole lot worse."

_Way to sound arrogant, Dad,_ Jenny thought dryly. The Doctor glanced over at her momentarily, but then Val and Sky spoke.

"Oh, like you're so special."

"All right," Jenny said before her dad could stick his foot into his mouth and make things a whole lot worse. "Okay. Just, everyone, please. Listen. You're scared, we're all scared. I'm terrified, to be honest." That was a lie, she was actually having to restrain herself from bouncing in excitement at this new adventure, but they didn't need to know that. "But turning on each other isn't going to help. We just need to sit down in a relative quiet until the rescue ship comes, and then we can take Sky to a hospital.

There was a pause.

"We should throw her out," the hostess/Sky said abruptly.

"I beg your pardon?" Hobbes/Sky asked, staring at her. Jenny frowned.

"Can we do that?" Val/Sky asked, looking at the hostess.

"Don't be ridiculous," the Doctor/Sky started, but the hostess (with Sky following right along) cut him off.

"That thing, whatever it is, killed the driver, and the mechanic, and I don't think she's finished yet."

"She can't even move," Jenny pointed out.

"Look at her," the hostess said. "Look at her eyes. She killed Joe, and she killed Claude, and we're next."

"She's still doing it," Biff/Sky muttered. "Just stop it. Stop talking. Stop it!"

"Biff, don't, sweetheart," Val/Sky said, trying to calm him down.

"No one is getting thrown out!" Jenny said adamantly.

"But she won't stop," Biff/Sky said. "We can't throw her out, though. We can't even open the doors."

"Yes, we can," Dee Dee/Sky said after a couple of moments, and Jenny sighed. "There's an air pressure seal. Like when you opened the cabin doors, you weren't pulled out," she added to the hostess. "You had a couple of seconds, because it takes the pressure wall about six seconds to collapse. Well, six seconds exactly. That's enough time to throw someone out."

"Thanks, Dee Dee," the Doctor/Sky glared. "Just what we needed."

"Would it kill her outside?" Val asked, glancing at Sky thoughtfully, but looked away as the woman continued to mimic.

"I don't know," Dee Dee/Sky said with a shrug. "But she's got a body now. It would certainly kill the physical form."

"No one is killing anyone!" Jenny repeated.

"I wouldn't risk the cabin door twice, but we've got that one." The hostess motioned to the emergency exit, ignoring Jenny. "All we need to do is grab hold of her and throw her out."

"Now, listen, all of you," the Doctor spoke up. "For all we know, that's a brand new life form over there. And if it's come inside to discover us, then what's it found? This bunch of little humans. What do you amount to, murder? Because this is where you decide. You decide who you are. Could you actually murder her? Any of you? Really? Or are you better than that?"

There was a long pause, but then the hostess nodded.

"I'd do it."

"So would I," Biff/Sky said.

"And me," Val/Sky added.

"I want her out," Dee Dee agreed.

"You can't say that!" Jenny said, shocked and horrified.

"I'm sorry, but the Doctor said it himself," Dee Dee/Sky said apologetically to Jenny. "She's growing in strength."

"That's not what I said," the Doctor/Sky defended himself.

"I want to go home," Dee Dee/Sky said. "I'm sorry. I want to be safe."

"You'll be safe soon, though," Jenny/Sky pleaded. "The rescue truck is on it's way."

"But what happens then?" the hostess/Sky countered. "If it takes that _thing_ back to the Leisure Palace, if that thing reaches civilization... What if it spreads?"

"No, because when we get back to the base, I'll be there to contain it," the Doctor explained.

"You haven't done much so far," Val/Sky said accusingly.

"You're just standing in the back with the rest of us." Biff took his wife's side.

"She's dangerous," the hostess/Sky said. "It's my job to see that this vessel is safe, and we should get rid of her."

"Now, hang on, I think perhaps we're all going a little bit too far," Hobbes said, and Jenny could have hugged him. _Despite being irritatingly stubborn, at least he has a set of morals._

"At last!" the Doctor/Sky exclaimed. "Thank you."

"Two people are dead!" the hostess/Sky protested.

"Don't make it a third," the Doctor/Sky countered, giving her a warning look. "Jethro, what do you say?"

"I'm not killing anyone," the teen said, Sky following along.

"He's just a boy," Val/Sky protested.

"What, so I don't get a vote?"

"There isn't a vote!" Jenny/Sky said. "This isn't happening. Killing is like a disease, it infects you. Once you start, it gets so very hard to stop. Besides, do you really want to go on for the rest of your life knowing that you killed someone in cold blood? You try and throw her out that door, you're going to have to get past me first." She could see their resolve swaying, the hostess' and Jethro's and Dee Dee's, but not enough.

"Okay," Val/Sky said.

"Fine by me," Biff/Sky agreed.

"Oh, now you're being stupid," the Doctor/Sky said. "Just think about it. Could you actually take hold of someone and throw them out of that door?"

"Calling me a coward?" Biff/Sky asked angrily.

"Who put you in charge, anyway?" Val/Sky spoke up.

"I'm sorry, but you're a Doctor of what, exactly?" Hobbes/Sky asked.

"He wasn't even booked in," the hostess/Sky mused. "The rest of you, tickets in advance. You two, Jenny, Doctor Smith, you just turned up out of the blue."

"Where from?" Val/Sky questioned.

"We're travelers," Jenny explained. "Just travelers. We love to see the stars."

"What, like an immigrant?"

"Who were you talking to?" the hostess/Sky continued. "Before you got on board, you were talking to someone. Who was that?"

"Just Donna," the Doctor said. "She's a friend of ours, she travels with us."

"And what were you saying to her?" Biff/Sky asked.

"The thing is, though, Doctor, Jenny, you've been loving this," Jethro/Sky said, looking at them.

"Oh, Jethro, not you..." the Doctor/Sky said sadly.

"No, but ever since all the trouble started, you've been loving it."

"It has to be said, you do seem to have a certain glee," Hobbes/Sky pointed out.

"All right, I'm interested," the Doctor admitted. "Yes, I can't help it."

"I'm his sister, just like him," Jenny added. "We love seeing new things, and that there-" She motioned to Sky. "-is brand new, and it's fascinating."

"What, you wanted this to happen?" Val/Sky accused.

"No!" Jenny, the Doctor, and Sky exclaimed at the same time.

"And you were talking to her, all on your own, before all the trouble," Biff/Sky pointed out. "Right at the front, you were talking to that Sky woman, the three of you together. I saw you."

"We were just talking!" Jenny/Sky protested.

"Saying what?" Biff/Sky countered.

"You called us humans like you aren't one of us," Jethro/Sky said.

"He did!" Val/Sky agreed. "That's what he said!"

"And the wiring," Dee Dee/Sky added. "He went into that panel and opened up the wiring.

"That was afterwards," Jenny said, trying to make _somebody _see reason.

"But how did you know what to do?" Biff/Sky asked, and the Doctor finally snapped, his patience gone like the cabin at the front of the shuttle.

"Because I'm clever!"

There was a very long, heavy pause.

"Well then. That makes things clear." The hostess was the first to speak up.

"And what are we then? Idiots?" Biff/Sky asked indignantly.

"That's not what I meant-" the Doctor tried to explain.

"You've been looking down on us from the moment we walked in." That was Val, and Jenny could see the situation getting even worse than it had been before. She hadn't thought it possible, but...

"Even if he goes, he's practically volunteered." The hostess' voice was cold. Sky continued to talk in the background.

"Do you mean we throw him out as well?" Biff/Sky asked. Jenny was reminded of her commanding officer back on Messaline.

"If we have to." The Doctor stared at them.

"Look, just – right, sorry – yes – hold on, just – I know you're scared. So am I, look at me." He managed to string together a coherent sentence after a couple false starts. "But we have all got to calm down and cool off and think."

"Is your name even John Smith?" Hobbes/Sky asked, and Jenny's small amount of respect for him disappeared.

"Yes!" the Doctor/Sky said.

"He's lying," Biff/Sky stated. "Look at his face."

"Their eyes, both of them, they're the same as hers," Val/Sky said fearfully.

"Is your name even Jenny?" Jethro/Sky asked her. Jenny nodded.

"Yes, why would I lie?"

"Nobody's called John Smith or Jenny Smith," Biff/Sky scoffed. "Come off it."

"Listen to him!" Jenny protested.

"You need me," the Doctor said with Sky. "All of you. If we are going to get out of this, then you need me."

"So you keep saying," Hobbes countered. "You've been repeated yourself more than her!"

"If anyone's in charge, it should be the professor," Val said. "He's the expert." Jenny stared at Sky, who watched back at the group with blank eyes. Her mouth had stopped moving.

"Look at her!" Jethro exclaimed. Everyone turned to Sky.

"She's stopped," Dee Dee said, shocked.

"When did she-?" the Doctor started, then shook his head when Sky continued along with him. "No, she hasn't. She's still doing it." Jenny felt an awful sense of foreboding, pressing in at the edges of her mind and twisting her stomach into knots. Something was very, very wrong.

"She looks the same to me," Val said. "No, she's stopped. Look, I'm talking, and she's not!"

"What about me?" Biff asked. "Look. Look at that. She's not doing me, she's let me go."

"Mrs. Silvestry?" the hostess tried. "Nor me, nothing."

"Sky?" Jenny asked. Sky's head turned to look at her, causing her to repress a shudder, but she wasn't mimicking.

"Sky, what are you doing?" the Doctor asked, Sky talking along with him.

"She's still doing him!" Dee Dee exclaimed.

"Doctor, it's you," Hobbes said. "She's only copying you."

"Why me?" the Doctor/Sky asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"Da – Doctor, John, back away," Jenny begged, stepping forwards and tugging lightly on his sleeve. "Please." He glanced over at her.

"I'll be fine, Jen," he said with Sky. "Just let me talk to her, okay, try and find out why she's doing this." Jenny looked at him for a long moment, then stepped back and let him move forward.

"Mrs. Silvestry," the Doctor/Sky said, the former kneeling down to look the latter in the eyes. "I'm trying to understand. You've captured my speech. What for? What do you need? You need my voice in particular. The cleverest voice in the room. Why?"

The group in the back of the bus watched in silence, and Jenny could feel the sense of foreboding grow.

"Because I'm the only one who can help? Oh, I'd love that to be true, but your eyes, they're saying something else. Listen to me. Whatever you want, if it's life or form or consciousness or voice, you don't have to steal it. You can find it without hurting anyone. And I'll help you. That's a promise. So, what do you think?" Jenny's eyes widened at what happened next.

"Do we have a deal?" Sky asked.

"Do we have a deal?" the Doctor repeated. She couldn't say a word, she was so stunned. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't be possessing him. It just couldn't!

"Hold on, did she-?" Dee Dee asked.

"She spoke first," Jethro agreed.

"Oh, look at that," Sky said. "I'm ahead of you."

"Did you see?" Hobbes exclaimed. "She spoke before he did. Definitely."

"He's copying her," Jethro said. Jenny slowly started shaking her head. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't.

"John," she said, forcing the words out and pushing past her irrational fear. It felt odd to call him by his alias, but she had to, at least for now. "What's happening?"

"I think it's moved," Sky said, closing her eyes. "I think it's letting me go."

"I think it's moved. I think it's letting me go."

"What do you mean?" Dee Dee asked. "Letting you go from what?"

"They're separating," Jethro said, glancing between the two.

"Mrs. Silvestry, is that you?" Hobbes asked. He moved forwards hesitantly, but Jenny went past him and knelt down by her father's side.

"Can you hear me?" she asked him, but there wasn't a response.

"Yes. Yes, it's me," Sky said.

"Yes. Yes, it's me," the Doctor repeated. Jenny turned his face so he was looking at her. She could see pure terror in his eyes, how he was forcing the words out, like he was resisting, but he was trapped.

"I'm coming back, listen."

"I'm coming back, listen."

"It's me."

"It's me."

"Like it's passed into the Doctor," Jethro said, and Jenny didn't even spare the energy for a glare.

"John," she said again. "John, can you hear me?"

"Look at me, I can move," Sky said, slowly bringing her hands up to her face.

"Look at me, I can move."

"I can feel again."

"I can feel again."

"I'm coming back to life."

"I'm coming back to life."

"And look at him. He can't move." Jenny glanced over at Sky. This wasn't right, Sky was... there was something off about her. She glanced back at her father, then at Sky, then at her father again. Her mind began to formulate strategies and plans, the most efficient way to solve this mess with the least amount of casualties.

...But did she really care about that? Her dad wouldn't be pleased if anyone died, no, but she would rip the stars apart to save him. These... these _humans_ would _not_ hurt him. Not if she had anything to say about it, and she had a lot to say.

"And look at him." Sky's voice brought her back into reality. "He _can't_ move."

"And look at him," the Doctor repeated. "He can't move." Jenny pulled him close to her, trying to keep him away from the others.

"Help me," Sky said in a tone so pitiful Jenny might have believed it under different circumstances.

"Help me." The Doctor's words weren't forced then, and Jenny forced back her hysteria. _Analyze, strategize, and act._

"Professor?" Sky spoke to Hobbes.

"Professor?"

"Get me away from him."

"Get me away from him."

"Please."

"Please." Hobbes moved forwards, taking Sky's hands in his own and helping her to her feet, pulling her away from the other two. "Oh, thank you."

"Oh, thank you."

"They've completely separated," Jethro said, tilting his head to one side, and Jenny glared at him.

"It's in him," Biff exclaimed. "Do you see? I said it was him all the time!"

"Oh, shut up!" Jenny snapped. "It's not him, you're just too blind to see it!"

"You shut up, you insolent girl!" Val snapped back. "She's free, she's been saved."

"Oh, it was so cold," Sky sighed.

"Oh, it was so cold."

"I couldn't breathe."

"I couldn't breathe."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry."

"I must have scared you so much."

"I must have scared you so much." Jenny looked into her father's frightened eyes.

"Can you hear me?" she whispered, so that nobody could hear. "Dad? Can you hear me?" Unbeknownst to Jenny, the hostess glanced over at her in surprise, but didn't say a word.

The Doctor didn't respond.

"No, no, it's all right." Val wrapped the older woman in a hug. "Ooo, there you are, my love. It's gone. Everything's all right now."

"I wouldn't touch her," Dee Dee warned.

"But it's gone!" Biff repeated. "She's clean! It passed into him."

"That's not what happened," Dee Dee tried again, and while Jenny couldn't spare her any time right now, she was grateful. Instead, she focused on her efforts to snap the Doctor out of his trance.

"Thank you for your opinion, Dee, but clearly Mrs. Silvestry has been released," Hobbes said.

"No," Dee Dee protested.

"Just leave her alone!" Val said, having released Sky from her hug. "She's safe, isn't she? Jethro, it's let her go, hasn't it." Jethro paused, glancing between Jenny and his mother before shrugging.

"I don't... I don't know... Professor?" He turned to Hobbes, shifting the attention off of himself.

"I'd say, from observation," Hobbes began, "the Doctor can't move." Jenny glared. _I hadn't noticed_. "And when she was possessed," he motioned to Sky, "she couldn't move, so-"

"Well, there we are then," Biff said with a final nod. "Now the only problem we've got is this Doctor." Jenny turned her glare onto him.

"Nobody is going to harm him while I'm still breathing," she practically snarled. Biff looked unsure for a moment, but then Sky began to speak again.

"It's inside his head."

"It's inside his head."

"It killed the driver."

"It killed the driver."

"And the mechanic."

"And the mechanic."

"And now it wants us."

"And now it wants us."

"I said so!" Val shouted, pointing.

"Are you all idiots?" Jenny shouted back. "If it was really in him, he'd be repeating all of us, not just her! It's not possessing him, it's draining him!" Sky continued on, heedless of her.

"He's waited so long."

"He's waited so long."

"In the dark."

"In the dark."

"And the cold."

"And the cold."

"And the diamonds."

"And the diamonds."

"Until you came."

"Until you came."

"Bodies so hot."

"Bodies so hot."

"With blood."

"With blood."

"And pain."

"And pain."

"Stop!" Val beged. "Oh my God, make him stop. Someone make him stop!"

"But she's saying it-" Dee Dee tried yet again, and Jenny redoubled her efforts.

"Dad," she whispered frantically. "Doctor, please, I don't know what to do."

"And you can shut up," the woman snapped.

"But it's not him, it's her. He's just repeating," Dee Dee protested.

"But that's what the thing does," Biff countered. "It repeats."

"Just let her talk," the hostess ordered.

"What do you know?" Biff sneered. "Fat lot of good you've been."

"Just let her explain," she said firmly. Jenny paused and glanced up, thinking the allegiances might have swayed just a bit.

"I think- I mean, from what I've seen," Dee Dee stammered out, "it repeats, then it synchronizes, then it goes on to the next stage and that's exactly what the Doctor said would happen."

"What, and you're on his side?" Biff accused. Dee Dee floundered for a moment.

"I- No!"

"The voice is the thing," Jethro said. "She stole it. Look at her, it's like Jenny said. It's not possessing him, it's draining him."

"She's got his voice," the hostess agreed.

"Please, just see reason!" Jenny begged.

"But that's not true, because it can't," Val stated, shaking her head. "Because I saw it pass into him. I saw it with my own eyes."

"So did I," Biff sided with his wife.

"You didn't," Dee Dee objected.

"It went from her, to him! You saw it, didn't you?" The last part was directed to Jethro.

"I don't... I don't know," he repeated.

"Oh, don't be stupid, Jethro," Val scoffed. "Of course you did." Jethro shrugged.

"Everyone saw it, everyone."

"You didn't!" Dee Dee said again. "You're just making it up. I know what I saw, and I saw her stealing his voice."

"She's just as bad as him," Val groaned. "Someone shut her up."

"Well, I'm only saying-" Dee Dee started, and Hobbes turned on her.

"Be quiet! That is an order! You're making a fool of yourself, pretending you're an expert in mechanics and hydraulics when I can tell you that you are _nothing_ more than _average_ at best!" Dee Dee looked shocked.

"That's how he does it," Sky started again.

"That's how he does it."

"He makes you fight."

"He makes you fight."

"Creeps into your head."

"Creeps into your head."

"And _whispers_."

"And whispers."

"Listen. Just listen."

"Listen. Just listen."

"That's him."

"That's him."

"Inside."

"Inside."

"Get him out of my head," Val said, going back into her panic.

"Yeah, we should throw him out," Biff agreed.

"Don't just talk about it! You're useless! _Do_ something!" Biff nodded.

"I will. You watch me. I'm going to throw him out."

Jenny slowly stood up. _Situation analyzed. Hostile enemies. Unable to reason. _

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Throw him out."

"Throw him out."

"Get rid of him."

"Get rid of him."

"Now."

"Now."

Biff moved for the Doctor, but in an instant Jenny had his arm twisted behind his back and his face pressed against the metal wall.

"I meant it when I said that nobody was going to hurt him!" she snarled, twisting his arm even more painfully.

"Get off of him!" Val screamed.

"Professor!" Biff choked out, and Jenny was ripped away as Hobbes did his best to contain her. Biff glared at her, then looked at Jethro.

"Jethro, help the Professor." Jethro just stared. "Jethro! Now!" The teenager still hesitated.

"Throw them both out," Sky said, closing her eyes in... pleasure?

"Throw them both out." Jenny struggled even more violently, and Biff joined Hobbes in keeping her contained.

"Into the sun."

"Into the sun."

"And the night."

"And the night."

"We'll throw her out first," Biff grunted, sweating with the effort of keeping Jenny down. They had the advantage of being taller and heavier, but Jenny was still talented in the arts of fighting. "Then him. Then we're safe." Hobbes didn't answer.

"Do it."

"Do it."

"Do it now."

"Do it now."

"Faster."

"Faster."

Jenny was dragged across the floor, the Doctor still frozen. Her boots scuffed against the metal.

"Just do it!" Val shouted, urging them on. "Get them out!"

Jenny continued to struggle, and smirked when she felt Hobbes grip loosen. Yanking one arm free, she sent a kick straight to the Professor's stomach and twisted away from Biff, almost sending him to the floor.

"Get her out."

"Get her out."

"I want to see my daughter again."

"I want to see my daughter again."

"Get them out!"

"Get them out!"

Jenny ducked as Biff recovered and went for her, then had to hop over a few of the seats as she nearly ran into Hobbes. Sky was on the opposite side of the shuttle from her, she couldn't throw the _real_ monster out even if she wanted to. At least, not yet.

"Send them away."

"Send them away."

"Into the starlight."

"Into the starlight."

"The emptiness."

"The emptiness."

"The burning sun."

"The burning sun."

"The Midnight sky."

"The Midnight sky."

"Molto bene."

"Molto bene."

"Allons-y."

"Allons-y."

As Jenny continued to fight, the hostess' eyes widened.

"It's her!" she gasped. "She's taken his voice!" Jenny ducked and scurried towards Sky as the hostess had this realization, grabbing her and slamming the controls on the emergency exit. The doors flew open and the light burned their eyes, everyone crying out and trying to shield themselves.

"One," Jenny grunted, glaring at Sky. "Two. Three. Four. Five."

At the sixth second, she felt hands grasping her arm and pulling her back inside. The doors slammed shut as Sky flew out, and Jenny collapsed on the floor next to the hostess. She blinked a few times, disoriented, then pushed herself into a sitting position. The hostess was already on her feet, and she offered a brief smile.

A gasp brought everyone's attention back to the Doctor, who had also collapsed and was breathing heavily on the floor.

"It's gone," he whispered. "It's gone. It's gone, it's gone, it's gone, it's gone. It's gone, it's gone, it's gone, it's gone, it's gone... It's gone, it's gone, it's gone, it's gone..." Jenny brushed some sweaty hair out of her face, then crawled over to her father. The two of them just sat there for a long moment, holding each other, as the Doctor tried to calm his raging hearts and Jenny continued to force back tears.

"I said it was her," Val said weakly, but looked away at the twin glares she received.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**20 minutes later**

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

A calm voice spoke through the intercom, and the Doctor glanced up, mindful of Jenny who was clinging to his coat as though she would never let go, eyes squeezed shut and trembling. Nobody had spoken a word.

"_Repeat. Crusader Fifty rescue vehicle coming alongside in three minutes. Door seals set to automatic. Prepare for boarding. Repeat. Prepare for boarding._"

Jenny glanced up, incredibly pale, although no tear tracks lined her face. She looked around the room, pausing at a few certain people (although she skipped over Biff and Hobbes entirely) before her eyes landed on the hostess.

"You saved my life," she said quietly. "You saved all of our lives, and I never even asked your name." The hostess looked surprised to be asked, but then she recovered.

"Janya," she responded with a smile. "Janya Fonday." Jenny managed to give a weak smile in response, then closed her eyes once more.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Donna waited anxiously on the exit platform. An announcement had come through the intercom that the Crusader Fifty shuttle had broken down and was being brought back early, so she had rushed over as soon as she could. It figured that the moment she left the Doctor alone something happened to him.

Her eyes found the Doctor and his daughter amidst the group of people, and she rushed forwards to greet them with a hug. The two returned the hug with forced chuckles, and they walked back towards the TARDIS together. The Doctor explained what happened as they went.

"What do you think it was?" Donna asked as they paused for a moment.

"No idea," the Doctor responded.

"I don't think I really want to," Jenny added.

"Do you think it's still out there?" There was no response, so she continued. "Well, you'd better tell them. This lot." The Doctor nodded his agreement.

"Yeah. They can build a Leisure Palace somewhere else. Let this planet keep on turning 'round an Xtonic star, in silence." Donna shook her head, chuckling lightly.

"Can't imagine you without a voice." The Doctor gave a half-grin.

"Molto bene."

"Molto bene," she agreed, but the Doctor shook his head, a dark look in his eyes.

"No, don't do that. Don't. Don't."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Donna shivered as she pulled on her robe and stepped into a pair of fuzzy slippers. The Doctor kept saying that he'd turn up the heat in here, but he never did!

They had left the Leisure Palace after stopping by the anti-grav restaurant, returning to the TARDIS after a tiring day. The Doctor went to tinker under the console, Donna just wanted to sleep, and Jenny said she was going to wander. A good six hours later, Donna hadn't fallen asleep and had made up her mind to go and ask the Doctor to turn the heat up. He should still be in the console room – did that man ever sleep?

She softly padded through the dim hallways, thankful that the corridors were actually staying in one place for the night, and made her way to the console room. She was rather surprised when she got there, as the lights were dimmed down, casting an eerie green glow about the room. There was no noise, and it appeared the Doctor had left.

"Donna?"

She jumped a foot in the air as she realized that she was not, in fact, alone, and turned to the doors. Jenny was sitting in the door frame, leaning against the side with one leg on the floor and the other dangling out into what could only be described as _Time_.

"Don't startle me like that, Jenny!" she exclaimed, making her way over and sitting down next to the resident Time Lady. The younger woman shrugged.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "Couldn't sleep?" Donna shook her head.

"Your dad needs to fix the heating, that's all. It's freezing!" Jenny grinned.

"Yeah, he should get around to doing that." There was a comfortable silence in which the two of them gazed out through the doors.

"What is that, then?" Donna asked. "Some sort of a wormhole or something?" Jenny shook her head.

"It's the Vortex. The Time Vortex, that's what the TARDIS uses to go through time and space. Right now we're parked, I suppose. It's gorgeous though, isn't it?" Donna nodded her agreement.

"It's beautiful. So why're you out here? Couldn't sleep, either?" Jenny shrugged again.

"I was so close to losing him, Donna," she whispered, her smile fading rapidly. "Those... those humans, they were gonna kill him. They were going to kill him and me and just throw us out into the sunlight, and I was going to lose him." Donna pulled the younger girl close to her in a hug.

"Yeah, but he's fine, now. We're all here, it's all good. Everyone's fine."

"It was so terrifying," she continued. "The look in his eyes, Donna, he was so scared! I've never seen him get scared, and _I_ was scared. I didn't know what to do!" Donna tightened the hug, feeling Jenny starting to tremble. "I was so scared."

"He's fine, Jen," Donna said again. "He's fine because you saved him."

"In the three weeks I've been here, though, he's nearly died three times. What if nobody _can_ save him? What if I lose him?"

"Jenny," Donna said quietly, pulling back so she could look Jenny in the eyes. "Listen. That man is the most impossible man I have ever met, and I can tell you that he will do everything in his power to get back to you. You're his daughter, he cares about you." Jenny nodded, still worried, but some of that worry had gone away.

The two sat in companionable silence, watching the peaceful Vortex for the rest of the night.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**...Thirty six pages. You people are lucky I like to write this much. Hope you enjoyed the little Donna/Jenny bonding scene that I put in there.**

**I just realized something. The driver said it would take 500 klicks to get to their destination, but when you count up the '_ kliks later' it goes over 500. Found that interesting. Drop a review, let me know what you think!**


	6. The Stolen Earth

"Shan Shen!" Jenny said, looking around. "_The_ best place to shop in this section of the galaxy!" She turned and looked at the Doctor, who was leaning against the door of the TARDIS with a pleased expression, with a grin. "Thank you!" She laughed and hugged him. Donna smiled at the duo before peering out the door.

"Looks amazing," she said. "Come on then, what are you lot waiting for? Time to shop!" The Doctor rummaged around in his pockets before pulling out a couple of small bags and tossing one to each of them.

"One thousand credits, ought to buy you any trinkets you want. Allons-y!"

They started off through the marketplace, meandering through the crowds and ignoring most of the salespeople shouting at them to buy things. The Doctor eventually bought them all a _fradzi_, or at least that's what Jenny thought he said. It was a hot, foaming mug of something or other, but he said it tasted good. Donna eyed it warily.

"I'd rather have a water," she replied. Jenny took the offered mug.

"You are going to love it," the Doctor. "One... two... three!" They all took a sip, and Jenny eagerly started gulping down more, as did Donna.

"Lovely!" she exclaimed. They continued on through the marketplace, and Jenny pulled her dad over to one shop full of long dresses in bright colors lined with golden threads. The Doctor looked rather bored, but Jenny's eyes were wide with delight as she gently touched the soft fabrics and the shopkeeper started offering bargain after bargain – apparently not many people came in here.

Ten minutes later Jenny was leaving almost 100 credits lighter and carrying three dresses – one blue and silver, one green and gold, and one purple and blue that reminded her a bit of the Time Vortex – and they were off looking for Donna. Then the Doctor was distracted by a booth selling smoothies, and they found themselves sitting at a table, each of them with a sweet fruity drink.

"Dad," Jenny said, slurping her drink. "When we were on Midnight, in the shuttle, and you were talking to Sky, you said you had a friend who went to a different universe. What did you mean?" His posture changed in an instant, from cheerful and relaxed to tense and something bordering on depression, and Jenny almost regretted asking. But then he just started talking, soft and slow, and she forgot about that.

"Time Lords... they can... could... do something called regenerating. Regeneration. If I'm fatally wounded, I can regenerate. I heal my body, but I change. Change into a whole different person, different personality, new everything. I'm still me... but not quite. You follow?" Jenny blinked.

"So did I... regenerate... on Messaline?" The Doctor shrugged.

"I'm still thinking about that. You look the same, you act the same. Might've had something to do with the Source, or maybe it was because you were still within the first fifteen hours of your progenation, progenation's like regeneration... But anyway. I've regenerated nine times before, this is my tenth... body, so to speak."

Jenny took another slurp of her drink, paying rapt attention.

"There was a war, on my home planet, I mentioned that on Messaline. It was just after this, I was in my ninth body, and there was this alien that wanted to take over Earth. Nothing new, really. And while I was there, I met this woman, just a girl, really. Rose, her name was. Rose Tyler." He got an almost dreamy look on his face, and Jenny wasn't quite sure why. "She was blonde, like you. Lovely blonde hair. And she traveled with me, for a while. She was such a nice person, stopped a Dalek from killing, a Dalek, can you believe? And then she was trapped. Trapped in a parallel universe, and I lost my last chance to say goodbye. I never saw her again." Jenny reached across the table to squeeze his hand.

"I'm sorry, Dad," she said quietly. "I didn't know." He shrugged.

"Nah, it's fine, Jen, would've happened sometime. You needed to know." She nodded.

"Yeah, but I'm still sorry." He snorted.

"You really are my daughter, blaming yourself like that. Rebel against me, Jen, in that respect, at least." He laughed, and the somber mood was broken. She picked up her bag.

"Come on, let's go and find Donna, she's probably worrying about us."

They started off through the crowds again.

"I think she went in there," Jenny said, pointing to a caravan off on the side. The Doctor frowned as he saw a woman fleeing the tent, although it wasn't Donna. He poked his head inside.

"Everything alright?" he asked. Donna looked up.

"Oh, God," she said, then went and hugged him both.

"O... kay?" Jenny said, confused and finding it slightly difficult to breathe.

"What was that for?" the Doctor asked, amused. Donna stepped back.

"I don't know." Jenny wrinkled her nose.

"What's that smell?" The Doctor looked around.

"Incense sticks," he said, sniffing the air. He picked up a nearby stick and licked it. "Yeah, definitely incense sticks." Then he spotted a dead beetle on the ground. Jenny's eyes widened. It was a dead beetle, but it was a _beetle_. Like a large, foot-and-a-half long beetle kind of beetle.

"Oh!" Donna exclaimed. The Doctor picked it up and sat down on the table, then reached for another incense stick and started poking it. "I remember that! It's... The fortune teller woman! She set that thing on me!" Jenny looked over at it.

"What is it?" The Doctor continued poking it.

"What happened, Donna? What did the fortune teller say?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"She said... I could... change the world?" Donna seemed really unsure. "I can't remember. It's slipping away. You know, like when you try and think of a dream and it just sort of... goes." The Doctor put the stick down.

"Just got lucky, this thing. It's one of the Trickster's Brigade. Changes a life in tiny little ways. Most times, the universe just compensates around it, but with you? Great big parallel world." It was Donna's turn to frown.

"Hold on. You said parallel worlds are sealed off."

"They are, I think," Jenny said, thinking about her conversation with her dad just a few minutes earlier and trying to wrap her head around the fact that Donna had been gone for ages when in reality she'd only been gone for minutes. The Doctor nodded.

"But you had one created around you," the Doctor. "Funny thing is, seems to be happening a lot to you."

"How do you mean?" she asked, looking confused. Jenny sat down on the table next to him.

"Well, the Library and then this..."

"Just goes with the job, I suppose," Donna said with a shrug, causing Jenny to grin.

"Sometimes," the Doctor said, looking at her, "I think there's way too much coincidence around you, Donna. I met you once, then I met your grandfather, then I met you again. In the whole wide universe, I met you for a second time. It's like something's binding us together." Donna snorted.

"Don't be so daft," she said. "I'm nothing special."

"Yes, you are!" Jenny said adamantly.

"You're brilliant," the Doctor agreed with a nod.

"She said that," Donna said quietly, looking off into the distance in thought.

"Who did?" the Doctor asked, looking up from the beetle.

"That woman. I can't remember."

"Well, she never existed now," the Doctor said with a shrug. Donna shook her head.

"No, but she said the stars. She said the stars are going out."

"But that world's gone," Jenny said, trying to reassure her. Donna shook her head again.

"No, but she said it was all worlds. Every world. She said the darkness is coming, even here."

"Who was she?" the Doctor asked, looking concerned.

"I don't know."

"What did she look like?" Now he was asking in an urgent tone, and Jenny was slightly concerned for him.

"She was blonde," Donna said after a moment, and Jenny's hand unconsciously went up to her own hair, pulled back in a ponytail, remembering the recent conversation.

_"She was blonde, like you. Lovely blonde hair. And she traveled with me, for a while."_

"What was her name?" the Doctor demanded.

"I don't know," Donna repeated.

"Donna, what was her name?" Donna shook her head again.

"But she told me to warn you. She said two words."

The Doctor was really worrying Jenny now, the expression on his face was new.

"What two words? What were they? What did she say?" Donna paused, thinking.

"Bad Wolf," she said after a moment, and the Doctor sat back. "Well, what does it mean?"

Instead of giving a response, the Doctor ran outside and began tearing through the crowds. Jenny and Donna chased after them, staring in shock as every single printed words, every banner, every sign, now read out _BAD WOLF_. They stopped in shock at the TARDIS, which, instead of reading "Police Public Call Box" read _BAD WOLF_ instead. They all stepped inside and froze again. The lighting was red and an ominous bell was tolling in the background.

"Dad, what is it? What's Bad Wolf?"

"It's the end of the universe!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny stared at him.

"What are you talking about?" she shouted over the alarm as he launched himself towards the controls and began piloting the ship.

"What do you mean, the end of the universe?" Donna echoed, looking worried. The Doctor pressed a few buttons, and the time rotor began to grind up and down in the center of the ship.

"Dad! What do you mean?" Jenny repeated, gripping one of the railings. The adrenaline was rushing through her body, but she didn't think she'd enjoy the running that was sure to come. Not if everything was in danger.

The Doctor just continued to pilot, and then he dropped back into the seat once the lighting had gone back to normal and the alarms had gone away.

"Bad Wolf," he said after a long few moments. "It's an entity, it was temporarily created when Rose Tyler looked into the heart of the TARDIS and destroyed the Dalek fleet. She and I, we're the only ones who know what it is. Infinite power, that's what it was, and if the stars are going out then there is something very wrong."

"So... is Bad Wolf causing... the darkness?" Jenny asked after a moment, and the Doctor snorted.

"No, no, it's a code. Something with power, immense power, and it's coming. Bad Wolf was a warning."

There was a thud to signify that they'd landed, and the Doctor rushed out the doors. Donna followed a moment later, with Jenny shortly behind her.

They had landed on the edge of a little street, with the sun just peeking over the edge of the horizon. A milkman was delivering some milk.

"It's fine," the Doctor said in relief. "Everything's fine. Nothing's wrong, all fine." He spotted the milkman. "Excuse me. What day is it?"

"Saturday," the man replied over his shoulder. The Doctor nodded distractedly.

"Saturday. Good. Good. I like Saturdays."

"So I just met Rose Tyler?" Donna asked, finally pushing through an opening in the conversation.

"I think so," Jenny said while the Doctor nodded.

"But she's locked away in a parallel word," Donna pointed out.

"Exactly," he nodded again. "If she can cross from her parallel world to your parallel world, then that means the walls of the universe are breaking down, which puts everything in danger. Everything. But how?" He ran back into the TARDIS, Donna following, but Jenny took a moment to look around and take in the sights of Earth. Her first planet had been Earth, but she had been rather distracted by the giant wasp trying to kill people. This was a calm Earth on a normal morning-

She frowned as the ground began to shake underneath her, and started to go back to the TARDIS, but then the Earth gave a lurch and she fell to the ground just as the box disappeared.

"Dad!" she shouted, staring at the space where the TARDIS used to be. "Dad! Where are you?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Thing is, Doctor, no matter what's happening, and I'm sure it's bad, I get that, but, Rose is coming back. Isn't that good?" Donna was trying to reassure the Doctor, at it actually appeared to work as he looked up with a small smile.

"Yeah," he said, nodding, but the smile dropped off his face as a bang echoed around the console and the whole room shook.

"What the hell was that?" Donna asked, picking herself up off the floor. He shrugged, moving towards the door.

"Don't know. It came from outside."

He opened the doors, only to find a few rocks floating past them.

_Jenny..._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny looked around in shock. Everything was dark, it hadn't been dark before. The TARDIS was gone, she was stuck here. She started to look around, but stopped when, with a flash of light, a blonde woman appeared, toting a huge weapon that Jenny would love to get her hands on.

Blonde...

"Rose Tyler?" Jenny called out on a whim, hoping against hope, and the woman looked over at her.

"Who are you?" she asked. Jenny jogged over to her.

"Are you Rose Tyler?" she repeated.

Rose nodded.

"Yeah, that's me. Who's asking?" Jenny smiled.

"It's a long story, but I came from a progenation machine on Messaline and I'm traveling with the Doctor. He misses you, you know." Rose gave a half-smile.

"Oh, I've missed him too, believe me." The two of them looked up at the sky, and Jenny's eyes widened.

"Something tells me that's not what the sky is supposed to look like?" she said after a moment.

Rose nodded.

"Right, now we're in trouble, and it's only just beginning." Jenny glanced over at her.

"I'm Jenny, by the way."

"Got a last name?" Rose asked, and Jenny shrugged.

"I came from a machine, but Donna, she shortened the term 'generated anomaly' into Jenny." Rose looked at her.

"We had a few progenation machines we salvaged, back in my universe. Who gave the DNA for you, or do you not know?"

They started walking down the street and eventually found themselves in a more crowded area. People were looting shops and panicking, driving down the streets, drunk, while heedless of pedestrians and passerby.

"The end of the world, darlings," one man said, his head sticking out of the sunroof of a car. "End of the stinking world."

"Have one on me, mate," Rose said, and they continued to walk. "You never answered my question, you know." Jenny blinked.

"Sorry, never been to Earth before. Well, I have, but not here. Met Agatha Christie and a Vespiform, decided to never ever wear heels again. Want to take everything in." Rose looked over at her.

"Haven't been traveling long, then?" Jenny shook her head.

"Nah, I've been a few weeks, maybe? Hard to tell in the TARDIS. But back to your original question-"

Rose held a hand up and pointed to where two boys were looting a shop full of computers and televisions.

"Right, you two," Rose said, Jenny half-standing behind her. "You can put that stuff down, or run for your lives." She powered up the weapon. "D'you like my gun?"

They ran, and Jenny laughed.

"Showed them all right." Rose motioned for her to come over, and they sat down in front of a screen that showed... _something_ approaching the Earth.

"What's that?" Jenny asked. She didn't get a response, because then a message came through.

"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" Rose slowly sat back, while Jenny looked confused.

"I'm assuming that extermination is bad, yes?" The older blonde looked over at her.

"Daleks," she said. "It's Daleks."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor landed the TARDIS in a hallway in a section of the Shadow Proclamation. They stepped out, only to be greeted by an armed platoon of Judoon.

"Sko bo tro no flo ko fo to to," the lead Judoon barked.

"No bo ho sho ko ro to so," the Doctor replied. "Bokodozogobofopojo."

The guns were lowered.

"Maho," he said with a nod, and Donna looked completely bewildered.

They were then escorted to the Architect, the leader of the group. She listened to their story, but then she started to pace.

"Time Lords are the stuff of legend," she said after a moment. "They belong in the myths and whispers of the higher species. You cannot possibly exist." The Doctor shrugged.

"Yeah, more to the point, I've got a missing planet and a missing daughter on the aforementioned missing planet, and you're the best place to get information." The Architect raised an eyebrow, but chose not to comment on the fact he had a daughter and focused on the 'missing planet' part of the statement.

"Then you're not as wise as the stories would say," she said, walking over to a set of controls and a computer screen. "The picture is far bigger than you imagine. The whole universe is in outrage, Doctor. Twenty four worlds have been taken from the sky." The Doctor blinked.

"How many? Which ones? Show me." He joined the Architect at the screen.

"Locations range far and wide," she said, pulling a few things up onto the terminal. "But all disappeared at the exact same moment, leaving no trace."

"Callufrax Minor. Jahoo. Shallacatop." The Doctor started reading off some of the names. "Woman Wept. Clom." He paused. "Clom's gone? Who'd want _Clom_?"

"All different sizes," the Architect said. "Some populated, some not, but all unconnected."

"What about Pyrovillia?" Donna asked, still standing off to one side. The Architect glanced over at her with disdain.

"Who is the female?" she asked. Donna's temper flared.

"Donna," she said. "I'm a human being. Maybe not the stuff of legend but every bit as important as Time Lords, thank you." The Architect looked suitably chastised, and Donna turned to the Doctor. "Way back, when we were in Pompeii, Lucius said Pyrovillia had gone missing." A Judoon spoke up.

"Pyrovillia is cold case," it grunted. "Not relevant." Donna looked at it.

"How d'you mean, cold case?" The Architect spoke up.

"The planet Pyrovillia cannot be a part of this. It disappeared over two thousand years ago." Donna waved her hand dismissively.

"Yes, yes, but there's the Adipose breeding planet, too. Miss Foster said that was lost, but that must have been a long time ago."

The Doctor grinned.

"That's it! Donna, brilliant! Planet's are being taken out of time as well as space!" He turned to the computer screen. "Let's put this into 3-D."

Holograms of the planets started popping up in the room.

"Jenny would love this," the Doctor murmured, but then shook his head. "Right. Now, if we had Pyrovillia and Adipose Three..." He pressed a few buttons, and the two planets joined the others. "Where else, where else, where else? Where else lost, lost, lost, lost- Oh! The Lost Moon of Poosh!" He pressed another button, and the planets all rearranged themselves.

"What did you do?" the Architect asked as the Doctor started walking through the field of planets.

"Nothing," he replied. "The planets rearranged themselves into the optimum pattern. Oh, look at that. Twenty-seven planets in perfect balance." He looked at them. "Come on, that is gorgeous."

"Oi, don't get all spaceman on me," Donna said, glaring. "What does it mean?"

"All those worlds fit together like the pieces of an engine," he explained. "It's like a powerhouse. But what for?"

"Who could design such a thing?" the Architect questioned, looking around.

"Someone tried to move the Earth once before. Long time ago." He frowned. "Can't be..."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny and Rose walked down another suburban street. The younger blonde wasn't sure what the older was looking for, but she followed along anyway. This was her last link to her father.

"Donna Noble's family," Rose said. "I know what they look like, where they are, I can find them. They're around here." She looked over at Jenny. "You wouldn't happen to know where they live, would you?" Jenny shook her head.

"Like I said, been to Earth once. Met Agatha Christie. We took her to that hotel ten days later, you know." Rose chuckled.

"That would happen," she said, shaking her head. "So, progenation machine, yeah?" Jenny nodded.

"There was a war, and it's kind of complicated, but that's why we were using the machines, 'cause we needed soldiers. But the Doctor convinced me that there was more to life than death, if that makes sense, that we always have a choice about killing, and I stepped in front of a bullet for him and now here I am." Rose nodded.

"I was working in a shop, but there was this thing, a Nestene Consciousness that would animate any plastic. The Doctor blew up the shop then dropped by my house the next day tracking some more of the plastic, but my mum started flirting with him." Jenny snorted.

"That's just weird, but-" Rose held up a hand, cutting her off again. Then she pointed to where Daleks were lining pedestrians up on the street. "Look." Jenny frowned, already analyzing strategies and tactics.

"That armor looks pretty sturdy, and I don't think we can get in there or out without risking casualties. Collateral damage isn't preferable. Recommend either retreat _or_ we both go 'round and try and pull as many civilians out as possible without getting caught." Rose looked at her, and she shrugged. "Progenation machines 'cause we needed soldiers, remember?" Rose nodded.

"I don't think we could get around them without being noticed," came the reply. "There really isn't anything we can do about them." Jenny's frown grew deeper.

"You're sure?" Rose nodded again.

"Yeah. I want to save 'em, really, but we can't. Come on, I think Donna's folks are somewhere around here."

They slipped into the shadows and continued through the streets, not even looking back as the Daleks began to scream cries of _'Exterminate!'_ once more, and a house went up into a fireball. Rose stopped and pointed down another street, where they saw an older woman with an even older man. The man was pointing a paint gun, aiming it at a Dalek.

"_Halt,_" the Dalek said to them. "_You will come with me._" The man aimed the paint gun at the Daleks eyestalk. Rose shook her head.

"It's not going to work," she muttered, and was proven right a moment later as Wilfred shot a ball of yellow paint onto the Dalek's eyestalk, which was boiled away.

_"My vision is not impaired_._"_

"I warned you, Dad," the woman said fearfully, holding his arm.

_"Hostility will not be tolerated. Exterminate!"_ Rose powered up her weapon and aimed it at the Dalek. Jenny watched in grim fascination. _"Exterminate! Exter-"_

The weapon was fired, leaving half a Dalek shell smoking in the middle of the street.

"Are you sure we couldn't have taken out those Daleks over there?" Jenny asked. Rose nodded.

"Takes a while to recharge. 'Sides, thought you said there was more to life than death."

"Something tells me there wouldn't be an objection to killing any of these."

"Do you want to swap?" he asked weakly, holding up the paint gun.

"You're Donna Noble's family, right?" At their nod, she continued. "I'm Rose Tyler, this is Jenny, and we need you."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Donna," the Doctor said, coming over to her and taking his glasses off, tucking them into one of his pockets. "Come on, think. Earth. There must've been some sort of warning. Was anything happening back in your day? Electrical storms? Freak weather? Patterns in the sky?" Donna shook her head.

"Well, how should I know? Er, no, I don't think so, no." He sighed and got back up, putting his glasses back on and moving to another terminal. Donna got up and walked over to him.

"Although... there were the bees disappearing." He stared at her.

"The _bees_ disappearing," he deadpanned. "The _bees_ disappearing." Then an expression of dawning realization came over his face. "The bees disappearing!"

"How is that significant?" the Architect asked as the Doctor bounced into action.

"On Earth, we had these insects," Donna explained. "Some people said it was pollution or mobile phones signals."

"_Or_," the Doctor said, "they were going back home." He turned a screen towards them.

"Back home where?" Donna asked.

"Planet Melissa Majora," he responded.

"Are you saying bees are aliens?" Donna exclaimed.

"Don't be so daft," he said. "Not all of them. But if the migrant bees felt something coming, some sort of danger, and escaped-? Tandocca." Donna blinked.

"The Tandocca Scale," the Architect breathed.

"The Tandocca Scale is the series of wavelengths used as a carrier signal by migrant bees," the Doctor explained. "Infinitely small. No wonder we didn't see it. It's like looking for a speck of cinnamon in the Sahara, but look, there it is. The Tandocca trail. The transmat that moved the planets was using the same length, we can follow the path!"

"And find the Earth?" Donna asked. The Doctor nodded. "Well, stop talking and do it!"

"I am!" he responded, and they took off through the hallways.

"We're a bit late," the Doctor muttered as he ran into the TARDIS. "The signal's scattered, but it's a start." He ran back past Donna and poked his head out of the TARDIS doors."I've got a blip," he said to the Architect. "It's just a blip, but it's definitely a blip."

"Then according to the Strictures of the Shadow Proclamation, I will have to seize your transport and your technology," the Architect ordered. The Doctor blinked.

"Oh, really? What for?"

"The planets were stolen with hostile intent. We are declaring war, Doctor, right across the universe, and you will lead us into battle!" The Doctor was taken aback.

"Right," he said, nodding slowly. "Yes. 'Course I will. I'll just... go and get you the key." He slipped back inside, then shut the door behind him and bounded up to the console, ignoring the shouts from behind him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Rose and Jenny stood in the Noble's living room, Rose with mild impatience as she questioned Wilf, and Jenny with appreciation, admiring the quaint room.

"I've tried calling her," Wilf was saying, "but I can't get through. But she's with the Doctor, I know that much, and the last time she phoned, it was from a planet called Midnight, made of diamonds. She mentioned you, there, Jenny, said you were keeping him company." Jenny nodded, growing serious.

"Yeah, not the best trip I've been on," she said with a shrug.

"What the hell are you three on about?" Sylvia snapped, glaring.

"Look, she's out there, sweetheart," Wilf said, motioning to the sky. "Your daughter. She's traveling the stars with that Doctor. She always has been."

"Don't be ridiculous," his daughter scoffed.

"Oh, come on, open your eyes! Look at the sky! Look at – look at the Daleks! You can't start denying things now."

"You're my last hope," Rose said quietly. "If we can't find Donna, we can't find the Doctor. Where is he?"

Jenny moved to collapse in an armchair, feeling there was nothing now to do but wait (and she hated waiting), but jumped back up again as the computer jumped to life. A middle-aged woman popped up on the screen, looking quite serious. Rose ran over and started tapping the screen.

"Harriet, it's me! It's me!" Other voices began to sound in the background. "Oh, she can't hear me. Have you got a webcam?" she asked the Nobles. Wilf shook his head.

"No, she wouldn't let me. Said they're naughty." Rose sighed and turned back to the screen.

"I can't speak to her then, can I?" Jenny moved over to watch the screen.

"But you can listen, get information that way," she pointed out, and Rose nodded.

_"Sarah Jane Smith, 13 Bannerman Road_,_"_ Harriet said, and Jenny tilted her head to one side.

"Who is Harriet, anyway?" Rose launched into an explanation, Jenny nodding along, and by the time she was done four faces had come up on the screen. Jenny grinned when she saw Martha.

_"Martha, where are you?"_ a young man asked.

_"I guess Project Indigo was more clever than we thought," _Martha explained. _"One second I was in Manhattan, next second..."_ She motioned around. _"Maybe Indigo tapped into my mind, because I ended up in the one place I wanted to be."_ An older woman, presumably Martha's mother, put an arm around her.

_"You came home. At the end of the world, you came back to me."_

_"But then all of a sudden, it's like the laptop turned itself on."_

_"It did,"_ Harriet said. _"That was me. Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister."_

_"Yes, I know who you are," _Martha said.

_"I thought it was about time we all met, given the current crisis. Torchwood, this is Sarah Jane Smith."_

The man, surrounded by those presumably his crew, grinned.

_"I've been following your work. Nice job with the Slitheen."_

An older woman put an arm around her son.

_"Yes, well, I've been staying away from you lot. Too many guns."_

_"All the same, might I say looking good, ma'am?"_ He ended the sentence with a wink, causing Sarah Jane to give a pleased smile.

_"Really? Ooo!"_

_"Not now, Captain,"_ Harriet ordered. _"And Martha Jones, former companion to the Doctor."_

"Oi, so was I," Rose muttered.

_"But how did you find me?" _Martha asked.

_"This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Subwave Network," _Harriet explained. _"A sentient piece of software programmed to seek out anyone and everyone who can help to contact the Doctor."_

_"What if the Daleks can hear us?"_

_"No, that's the beauty of the Subwave. It's undetectable."_

_"And you invented it?" _Sarah Jane asked.

_"I developed it. It was created by the Mr. Copper Foundation."_

_"Yeah, but what we need right now is a weapon,"_ Jack stated. _"Martha, back there at UNIT, what did they give you? What was that key thing?"_

_"The Osterhagen Key," _Martha responded.

_"That key is not to be used, Doctor Jones," _Harriet ordered. _"Not under any circumstances."_

_"But what is an Osterhagen Key?" _Jack asked.

_"Forget about the Key, and that's an order," _Harriet snapped. _"All we need is the Doctor." _Sarah Jane spoke up.

_"Only, excuse me, Harriet, but – well, the thing is, if you're looking for the Doctor, didn't he depose you?"_

_"He did. And I've wondered about that for a long time, whether I was wrong. But I stand by my actions to this day, because I knew, I knew that one day, the Earth would be in danger and the Doctor would fail to appear. I told him so myself, and he didn't listen."_

_"But I've been trying to find him. The Doctor's got my phone on the TARDIS, but I can't get through."_

"Nor me, and I was here first," Rose muttered again, watching the conversation. Jenny glanced over at her.

_"That's why we need the Subwave,"_ Harriet said. _"To bring us all together. Combine forces. The Doctor's secret army."_

_"Wait a minute," _Jack said slowly. _"We boost the signal. That's it! We transmit that telephone number through Torchwood itself, using all the power of the Rift!"_

_"And we've got Mr. Smith," _Sarah Jane's son said. _"He can link up with every telephone exchange on the Earth. He can get the whole world to call the same number, all at the same time! The whole world, calling out at once."_

_"Brilliant," _Jack said. _"Who's the kid?"_

_"That's my son," _Sarah Jane said proudly.

_"Excuse me,"_ a young man said, moving to take Jack's place on the screen. _"Sorry. Sorry, hello. Ianto Jones. Er, if we start transmitting, then the Subwave Network is going to become visible – I mean, to the Daleks."_ Harriet nodded.

_"Yes, and they'll trace it back to me,"_ she replied. _"But my life doesn't matter. Not if it saves the Earth." _Jenny felt... not proud, but honored to have seen this woman, so dedicated to her planet, in almost awe. She stepped back and saluted at the same time as Jack, despite the fact that they couldn't see her. Rose glanced at her, but didn't say anything. Harriet sighed. _"Thank you, Captain, but people are dying out there on the streets."_

"Marvelous woman," Wilf said, having come over to watch. "I voted for her."

"You did not!" Sylvia admonished.

_"Now, enough of words. Let's begin."_

_"Rift power activated!" _Jack announced, running off screen.

_"All terminals coordinated," _replied a woman from the same place.

_"National grid online," _Ianto announced. _"Giving you everything we've got."_

_"Connecting you to Mr. Smith," _Sarah Jane reported.

_"All telephone networks combined," _added Luke.

_"Sending you the number now," _Martha said, typing something in. A number popped up on the screen: 07700 900461

_"Opening subwave network to maximum," _Harriet began typing at a quick speed.

_"Mr. Smith, make that call!" _Sarah Jane said to something out of their view.

_"Calling the Doctor," _said a calm artificial voice.

"So am I," Rose said, pulling out a phone. Jenny ran over to the phone in the Noble's living room and started dialing.

"Same here," she replied, and listened to the ringing.

_"And sending," _Jack said, throwing down a lever.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The time rotor stopped moving, and the Doctor looked at the scanner.

"It's stopped," he said, confused.

"What do you mean?" Donna asked. "Is that good or bad? Where are we?"

"The Medusa Cascade," he breathed. "I came here when I was just a kid, ninety years old. It was the center of a rift in time and space."

"So where are the twenty-seven planets?" Donna asked frantically.

"Nowhere," he said, defeated. "The Tandocca Trail stops dead. End of the line." He sank back into the pilot's chair.

"So what do we do?" Donna asked. He didn't answer. "Doctor, what do we do?" He still didn't answer. "Now don't do this to me. Not now. Tell me, what are we going to do? You never give up!" He turned to look at her with sad eyes. "Please. If not for me, for Jenny."

They stared at each other for a few long moments, but then a phone began to ring.

"Phone!" he shouted, running over to it.

"Doctor, phone!" Donna echoed. The Doctor flipped it open and pressed it to his ear.

"Martha, is that you?" A beeping noise came from the phone, no voice. "It's a signal!"

"Can we follow it?" Donna asked, looking at him. The Doctor grinned, pressing his stethoscope onto the keys.

"Oh, just watch me!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_"I think we've got a fix!"_

Jenny redialed the number.

_"Mr. Smith now at two hundred percent. Oh, come on, Doctor."_

"Find me, Doctor," Rose whispered, holding her phone up in the air. Jenny dialed the number yet again.

_Come on, Dad._

_"Harriet, a saucer's locked on to your location. They've found you."_

_"I know. I'm using the Network to mask your transmission. Keep going."_

_"Exterminate!"_

An explosion. Jenny kept calling.

_"Captain, I'm transferring the Subwave Network to Torchwood. You're in charge now. And tell the Doctor, from me, he chose his companions well. It's been an honor."_

Jenny watched the screen with a dial tone buzzing in her ear.

_"Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister."_

_"Yes. We know who you are."_ Jenny shuddered as she redialed the phone again, the harsh, grating voices striking some irrational fear into her hearts.

_"Oh, you know nothing of any human, and that will be your downfall."_

_"Exterminate!"_

The screen went black.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The console sparked and flamed as the Doctor and Donna clung to the console.

"We're traveling in time!" he shouted over the noise. "One second into the future! The phone call's pulling us through."

Donna nodded, too busy focusing on standing upright to respond.

"Three, two, one!"

The planets began to pop into existence around them, and the TARDIS stopped shaking.

"Twenty seven planets," Donna said, looking at the viewscreen. "And there's the Earth. But why couldn't we see them?"

"The entire Medusa Cascade has been put a second out of sync with the rest of the universe," the Doctor explained. "Perfect little hiding place, a tiny pocket of time. But we found them." The scanner started to beep. "Ooo! Ooo, ooo, what's that? Hold on, hold on, some sort of Subwave Network?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny dropped the phone onto the floor as the the Doctor and Donna's face came up where Harriet's static-filled screen once stood.

_"Where the hell have you been?" _Jack shouted, and everyone started talking at once. _"Doctor, it's the Daleks!"_

_"It's the Daleks! They're taking people to their spaceship!"_

_"It's not just Dalek Caan."_

"It's Donna!" Sylvia said in shock.

"That's my girl!" Wilf said with a grin. Jenny reached out to touch the Doctor's face on the screen while Rose drank in the Doctor's image.

_"Sarah Jane," _the Doctor grinned. _"Who's that boy? And that must be Torchwood! Oh, they're brilliant. Look at you all, you clever people."_

_"That's Martha," _Donna said with a smile. _"And who's... he?" _She tapped the camera.

_"Captain Jack," _the Doctor said, then glared at the two of them. _"Don't. Just... don't."_

"Doctor, it's me," Rose said with a rueful grin. "I came back."

_"It's like an outer-space Facebook!" _Donna smiled.

_"Everyone except Rose," _the Doctor murmured, his smile fading. _"What about Jenny? Have any of you seen Jenny?"_

Jenny was touched at her father's concern, and then the screen went blank. Jenny could still hear everyone talking, but there was no picture.

_"Your voice is different, and yet its arrogance is unchanged."_ Jenny blinked. That didn't seem like anyone the Doctor knew.

"Who's that?" Rose echoed her thoughts.

_"Welcome to my new Empire, Doctor. It is only fitting that you should bear witness to the resurrection and the triumph of Davros, lord and creator of the Dalek race."_

Rose shuddered at the face which appeared on the screen. Sylvia let out a small shriek, clasping her hands over her mouth. Jenny stared with revulsion.

"What is that?" Wilf choked out.

_"Doctor?"_ they heard Donna ask.

_"Have you nothing to say?" _Davros taunted.

_"Doctor, it's alright." _Donna again. _"We're in the TARDIS, we're safe."_

_"But you were destroyed," _the Doctor's voice came through stuck in denial. _"I saw your command ship fly into the jaws of the Nightmare Child. I tried to save you." _

_"But it took one stronger than you. Dalek Caan himself."_

The image of Davros shifted to a half-dismantled Dalek, giggling and twitching in its metal casing like some grotesque squid on a puppet.

_"I flew into the wild and fire," _it giggled. _"I danced and died a thousand times!"_

_"Emergency Temporal Shift took him back into the Time War itself," _Davros said, the screen once more showing his wasted face. Jenny unconsciously leaned forwards in grim fascination, wanting to know about the disaster which left her father homeless.

_"But that's impossible," _he exclaimed. _"The entire War is time locked."_

_"And yet he succeeded. Oh, it cost him his mind, but imagine... A single, simple Dalek succeeded where Emperors and Time Lords have failed. A testament, don't you think, to my remarkable creations?"_

_"And you made a new race of Daleks."_

_"I gave myself to them, quite literally. Each one grown from a cell of my own body."_

Jenny turned away as he opened his tunic to reveal an open ribcage with fibers and gore and organs beating away.

_"New Daleks. True Daleks. I have my children, Doctor. What do you have, now?"_

"He's got us," Jenny spat, Rose nodding her agreement.

_"After all this time, everything we saw, everything we lost, I only have one thing to say to you..."_ the Doctor muttered, staring at Davros. _"Bye!"_

The screen went dark yet again.

Jenny stepped back from the computer and moved to pick up the phone she had dropped, while Rose pulled out her own mobile and was making a call.

"Control, I need another shift. Lock me onto the TARDIS, now." She hung up and looked back at the Nobles.

"Right, I'm going to find him." Jenny cut in.

"I'm coming with you," she said, stepping forwards. Rose looked at her, then nodded.

"Right, hang on, then." Jenny grabbed Rose's arm tightly as the older woman looped a chain around their necks. "Wish us luck."

"Oh, good luck!" Sylvia exclaimed.

"Good luck, sweethearts," Wilf said, putting an arm around his daughter.

The two vanished in a flash of light.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor and Donna stood on an abandoned street corner. Cars stood empty on the sidewalks, doors hanging open, and the houses were silent. Planets loomed ominously overhead.

"Like a ghost town," Donna whispered. The Doctor looked around in a circle, trying to find what was happening.

"Sarah Jane said they were taking the people. What for?" He spun back around to her. "Think, Donna. When you met Rose in that parallel world, what did she say?"

"Just, the darkness is coming."

"Anything else?" He was desperate. Donna focused on something behind him.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

The Doctor stared, and then slowly turned around. His eyes widened when he saw Rose standing at the end of the street, Jenny standing next to her. Jenny beamed when she saw him, and Rose had that bright grin on her face. Donna gave a contented smile as the three started running towards each other.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They were less than twenty feet away when it happened. Time seemed to slow itself down, and possible outcomes flashed past Jenny's eyes before the cold reality set in. A Dalek rolled out of a side street, spotted the Doctor, and screamed.

"Exterminate!"

The bolt went wide, hitting his shoulder, but it was enough to send him toppling to the ground. Time resumed its normal course, and Jenny was by her father's side in an instant. There was a flash of light from the corner of her eyes, the sound of something – the Dalek, she presumed – exploding, and Rose was kneeling next to her as well.

"Don't you dare die on me," Jenny whispered, fighting back tears. "Don't you dare."

"I got you," Rose whispered, cradling his hand. Donna and a man Jenny recognized as Jack dashed over to them. "It missed you. Look, Doctor. It's me."

"Rose," the Doctor breathed. A brief smile appeared on his face only to be washed away with a grimace. "Jen." Jenny nodded.

"I'm here, we're all here. It's gonna be okay, you hear me? Don't you even think about closing your eyes, you focus on us, you got that?" The Doctor nodded.

"Long time no see," he said, forcing a smile back to his face for Rose. Rose gave a weak smile in return, fighting back the effects of hysteria.

"Yeah, well, been busy, you know?" There was a pause. "Don't die," she begged. "Don't die, oh my God, don't die."

"Get him into the TARDIS, quickly," Jack ordered, seeing that somebody had to take control of the situation. Jenny nodded, and helped Rose hoist the Doctor to his feet. They half-carried, half-dragged him through the TARDIS doors, finally setting him down on the floor.

"But what do we do?" Donna asked as Jack pulled her off to one side. "There's got to be some kind of medicine or something!"

"Just step back," Jack said firmly. "Rose, ma'am, do as I say and get back. He's dying, and you know what happens next."

_"Time Lords... they can... could... do something called regenerating. Regeneration. If I'm fatally wounded, I can regenerate. I heal my body, but I change. Change into a whole different person, different personality, new everything. I'm still me... but not quite."_

Jenny shook her head, then glanced up at Jack.

"I have a name, you know," she muttered. Jack shrugged.

"Yeah, but you're so gorgeous you deserve a fancy title," he managed to give a smile, despite the situation. Rose rolled her eyes, not sparing him a look. Donna raised an eyebrow, while Jenny was confused. The Doctor snorted.

"She's off limits, Harkness," he gasped, beginning to pull himself to his feet.

"I came all this way," Rose said softly as the Doctor's hands began to glow.

"What do you mean, "what happens next"?" Donna asked.

"It's starting," the Doctor said quietly, focusing on his brightly illuminated hands. Jenny and Rose were pulled back towards the edge of the console platform by Jack.

"Here we go," the captain said. "Good luck, Doctor."

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" Donna repeated. Rose looked over at her.

"When he dies, his body repairs itself, but it changes. Doctor, you can't!" Jenny shook her head wordlessly. She had just barely gotten enough time to know this version of her dad, she wasn't sure how she would deal with a new one so soon.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, now standing straight. "It's too late. I'm regenerating."

And he burst into light.

* * *

**Who's excited for _The Angels Take Manhattan?_**


	7. Journey's End

_"Just step back," Jack said firmly. "Rose, ma'am, do as I say and get back. He's dying, and you know what happens next."_

"Time Lords... they can... could... do something called regenerating. Regeneration. If I'm fatally wounded, I can regenerate. I heal my body, but I change. Change into a whole different person, different personality, new everything. I'm still me... but not quite."

_Jenny shook her head, then glanced up at Jack._

_"I have a name, you know," she muttered. Jack shrugged._

_"Yeah, but you're so gorgeous you deserve a fancy title," he managed to give a smile, despite the situation. Rose rolled her eyes, not sparing him a look. Donna raised an eyebrow, while Jenny was confused. The Doctor snorted._

_"She's off limits, Harkness," he gasped, beginning to pull himself to his feet._

_"I came all this way," Rose said softly as the Doctor's hands began to glow. _

_"What do you mean, "what happens next"?" Donna asked._

_"It's starting," the Doctor said quietly, focusing on his brightly illuminated hands. Jenny and Rose were pulled back towards the edge of the console platform by Jack._

_"Here we go," the captain said. "Good luck, Doctor."_

_"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" Donna repeated. Rose looked over at her._

_"When he dies, his body repairs itself, but it changes. Doctor, you can't!" Jenny shook her head wordlessly. She had just barely gotten enough time to know this version of her dad, she wasn't sure how she would deal with a new one so soon._

_"I'm sorry," he said quietly, now standing straight. "It's too late. I'm regenerating."_

_And he burst into light._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny could hear Donna's rapid breathing, could feel Jack tensing as he did his best to shield the three from the powerful blast, Rose almost trembling, but she squinted into the light, desperate to hold onto her father's image.

Then they all scuttled backwards even more as the Doctor, with what seemed like a great effort, turned and began funneling regeneration energy into a jar perched just underneath the console on the metal grating. Jenny's expression was one of shock (mirrored, she assumed, by Jack, Rose, and Donna) but a small part of her wondered why she never asked – was that a _hand_ in the jar? The golden light cleared, and then it was still her father standing there, same manic grin and spiky hair.

"Now then," he said in the silence. "Where were we?" Nobody answered, so he went and knelt down by the hand, which was glowing and bubbling in the liquid. "There now." A gentle breath calmed it down, and he stood back up, still grinning. "You see?"

They really didn't.

"Used the regeneration energy to heal myself, but soon as I was done, I didn't need to change. I didn't want to. Why would I? Look at me!" He shot Rose a quick wink. "So, to stop the energy going all the way, I siphoned off the rest into a handy bio-matching receptacle, namely, my hand." He nodded to the hand. "My hand there. My handy spare hand." He looked at Rose while Jenny attempted to process this new information. "Remember? Christmas Day, Sycorax? Lost my hand in a sword fight? That's my hand. What do you think?" He waved.

Jenny broke away from the group, followed shortly by Rose.

"You're still you?" she asked after a moment. Her father smiled.

"Still me," he agreed. "Don't expect to get rid of me for a while, Jen." Jenny laughed.

"I don't want to," she replied. The Doctor's smile grew, and he turned to Rose.

"And Rose Tyler. Defender of the Earth."

The two of them hugged tightly, and Jenny took a couple respective steps back. Donna nudged her, then hugged her from behind. Jenny laughed.

"Oh, so I don't get a hug?" Jack said with a fake pout. Jenny turned to answer, then winced. What...?

"You're wrong," she said after a couple of moments, tilting her head to one side. "I... I don't know how else to say it, but you're just _wrong_." Jack blinked, but then the Doctor and Rose turned back to them before he could say anything.

And then before _they_ could say anything, the power went out, jostling the ship and nearly knocking them over.

"They've got us," the Doctor murmured. "Power's gone. Some sort of... chronon loop."

"That's bad, yeah?" Jenny said after a moment. The Doctor nodded grimly.

"There's a massive Dalek ship at the center of the planets," Jack clarified. "They're calling it the Crucible. Guess that's our destination."

"You said these planets were like an engine," Donna said to the Doctor. "But what for?" The Doctor shrugged, then turned to Rose.

"Rose, you've been in a parallel world. That world's running ahead of this universe. You've seen the future. What was it?"

"It's the darkness," she replied.

"The stars were going out," Donna agreed.

"One by one," Rose continued softly. "We looked up at the sky and they were just dying. Basically, we've been building this... er, this travel machine, this... this, er, dimension cannon so I could- Well, so I could-"

"What?" the Doctor prompted.

"So I could come back." The Doctor's grin grew so large Jenny thought he might split his face in half. "Shut up. Anyway, suddenly, it started to work and the dimensions started to collapse. Not just in our world, not just in yours, but the whole of reality. Even the Void was dead Something is destroying everything."

"Okay, really bad," Jenny said. "But do we have a plan?" Everyone looked at her and she shifted slightly. "What? Plans are good, even if it's a bad one." Rose cracked a smile.

"Sounds like something this lump would say," she said, pointing her thumb at the Doctor, who looked indignant while everyone laughed at his expense. Jenny opened her mouth to continue, but then the scanner beeped.

"The Dalek Crucible," the Doctor said, and the mood turned serious once again. "All aboard."

_"The TARDIS is secured," _came a harsh voice.

_"Doctor, you will step forth or die,"_ a deeper, more sinister voice commanded.

"We'll have to go out," the Doctor said grimly. "Because if we don't, they'll get in."

"You said nothing could get through those doors!" Rose exclaimed.

"You've got extrapolator shielding," Jack protested.

"Last time we fought the Daleks, they were scavengers and hybrids and mad. But this is a fully-fledged Dalek Empire at the height of its power. Experts at fighting TARDISes, they can do anything. Right now, that wooden door is just... wood."

"What about your dimension jump?" Jack turned to Rose.

"It needs another twenty minutes," she replied, shaking her head. "And anyway, I'm not leaving."

"What about your teleport?" Jenny asked Jack, trying not to look at him directly but still make eye contact, as impossible as that sounded. "The thing you used to come here. You just... appeared."

"It's a Vortex Manipulator," he replied, "and it went down with the power."

"Never mind, then."

"Right," the Doctor said, starting towards the doors. "All of us together. Yeah. Donna?" Jenny turned slightly to see Donna staring off into space. "Donna?" She blinked.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. There's nothing else we can do." She nodded, resigned.

"No, I know."

_"Surrender, Doctor, and face your Dalek masters."_

_"Crucible on maximum alert."_

"Daleks," Rose murmured.

"Oh, God." That was Jack, laughing because if he didn't, he'd probably by a shivering wreck.

"It's been good, though," the Doctor said, turning to face them. "All of us. All of it. Everything we did." He looked at Donna. "You were brilliant." And to Jack: "And you were brilliant." And to Rose: "And you were brilliant." He looked Jenny in the eye. "I'm sorry it had to end so soon. Blimey."

They stepped out of the box, surrounded by Daleks.

_"Daleks reign supreme! All hail the Daleks!"_

_"Daleks reign supreme! All hail the Daleks! Daleks reign supreme! All hail the Daleks!"_

Jenny couldn't keep herself from staring in awe at the army of metal... pepperpots swarming above them. Really, they did look like pepperpots. Terrifying, pepperpots of death, but pepperpots nonetheless. Their mantra continued, hysterical and rather mad.

_"Behold, Doctor," _came the deep, grating voice. A red Dalek, standing on a pedastal above the others. _"Behold the might of the true Dalek race."_

"Donna," the Doctor called to Donna, who was still in the TARDIS. "You're no safer in there."

As if to prove him wrong, the door slammed shut.

"What?"

"Doctor? What have you done?" Donna shouted from inside.

"Donna!" Jenny called, running up to the door and banging her hand against it.

"It wasn't me! I didn't do anything."

"Oi! I'm not staying behind!" The Doctor whirled around to face the red Dalek.

"What did you do?!"

_"This is not of Dalek origin."_

"Doctor!"

"Stop it! She's my friend. Now open the door, and _let her out_."

_"This is Time Lord treachery!"_

"Me?" The Doctor was incredulous and desperate. "The door just closed on his own!"

_"Nevertheless, the TARDIS is a weapon, and it will be destroyed."_

Jenny's eyes widened.

"Don't, you can't!" she shouted, taking a half-step forwards. It was already too late, however, and they watched in horror as the box dropped through a trap door and fell out of sight. "What are you doing? Bring it back!" The red Dalek slowly turned its eyestalk towards her, but she held her ground.

_"The female is not human,"_ it stated after a moment. _"Scans detect dual cardiac functions and advanced binary vascular system. Bring her to the Vault and give her to Davros."_

The Doctor pulled her back and pushed her so she was standing behind him.

"Don't even think about it," he said in a dangerous tone. The two Daleks sent to escort Jenny to the Vault -that sounded rather ominous, promising things she didn't care to think about- and to the skeletal being who created these. "Now what have you done with the TARDIS?"

_"The Crucible has a heart of Z-neutrino energy. The TARDIS will be deposited into the core."_

"You can't!" he shouted. "You've taken the defences down, it'll be torn apart!"

"But Donna's still in there!" Rose exclaimed.

"Let her go!" Jack shouted.

_"The female and the TARDIS will perish together. Observe. The last child of Gallifrey is powerless."_ Jenny's eyes narrowed as an image of the TARDIS landing in the molten core appeared.

"Please, I'm begging you!" the Doctor nearly sobbed. "I'll do anything! Put me in her place. You can do anything to me, I don't care, just get her out of there!"

_"You are connected to the TARDIS. Now feel it die."_

_"Total TARDIS destrcution in ten rels," _one Dalek announced. _"Nine. Eight. Seven."_

_"We will take the female to the Vault!" _another declared, pointing its weapon at Jenny. _"Obey or you will be exterminated!"_ Jenny looked at her dad, who was slowly shaking his head. Everything was happening so fast, spiraling out of control.

_"Four. Three. Two. One."_

_"The TARDIS has been destroyed,"_ the red Dalek said, and if Daleks could have emotions (Jenny was quite sure that they didn't by now) she would have thought it sounded smug, proud. _"Now tell me, Doctor, what do you feel? Anger? Sorrow? Despair?"_

He could only nod, dumbstruck, but his eyes widened as he saw Jenny walking towards the two Daleks.

"Jen-" he started, but she shook her head.

"I'll be fine," she said with a shaky smile. He looked at her with a haunted expression, eyes begging her not to go, but she turned and followed. Maybe she could slip away, get a layout of the place and sneak back to the group. Her mind instantly began flying, snapping connections and strategies together as she was led away.

As she stepped into the corridor, she heard the sound of gunshots being fired and the sound of a Dalek's laser. Her eyes closed in a silent prayer, although to who, she wasn't sure.

_Don't let them be dead. I don't think I could take it if they were dead. Don't let them be dead._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOO

Jenny looked around with curiosity. They were several levels down in the ship, a darker room still lined with metal and overall rather dreary. These Daleks should hire a new decorator.

"Hello, child," came a quiet voice, and she turned to see Davros gliding towards her. The two Daleks who had escorted her left the room.

"Davros," she spat. He tilted his head to one side.

"You know my name, but yet I do not know yours," he said, and she heard the hidden order. _Tell me your name._

"It's Jenny." Davros looked at her for a long few moments.

"Jenny," he said slowly, testing the name. "I heard something interesting about you."

"And I've heard plenty about you, but I found it rather boring," she retorted. He laughed, and it wasn't pleasant.

"You have spirit. That is good. Then I can break you." Jenny's eyes narrowed. "I think I'd have particular fun with you, considering that you appear to be a Time Lady."

She said nothing, instead continuing to look around and ignore the thing before her. Underneath some lights, chained to a pedestal, was the half-dismantled Dalek they had seen earlier. Instead of twitching and giggling like it had been, it remained oddly silent. If it weren't for the occasional blink, it could have been dead. It looked dead.

"So how did you escape the war?" Davros murmured. "The Doctor put it into a Time Lock. Did you leave before that?"

She didn't have the slightest idea as to what a Time Lock was, but she didn't think she'd get the chance to find out as Davros interrupted himself.

"It is of no matter. Your little friends are being escorted down. They will be here shortly, and then I can speak to you all together. Activate holding cell."

The young girl jumped as a bright light surrounded her so that she was standing in a circle of it on the floor. A tentative reach outward proved that she was, in fact, trapped behind a wall of energy that was only visible for a moment.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Five awkwardly silent minutes later, the Doctor and Rose were brought in. They saw Jenny sitting cross-legged on the floor inside her circle of light, tapping her fingers against her leg and looking quite bored.

"Jenny!" the Doctor called. Her head snapped up to look at them. "Did they do anything to you?" She shook her head.

"I'm fine!" she called back.

"Activate holding cells," Davros snapped before the conversation could move any further. "Excellent. Even when powerless, Time Lords are best contained."

"Still scared of me, then?" the Doctor asked. Davros gave no reply. Rose didn't appear to notice the emphasized plural of _Lords._

"It is time we talked, Doctor. After so very long."

The Doctor cut him off.

"No, no, no, no, no. We're not doing the nostalgia tour. I want to know what's happening right here, right now, because the Supremem Dalek said Vault, yeah? As in dungeon, cellar prison. You're not in charge of the Daleks, are you? They've got you down here in the basement like, what, a servant? Slave? Court jester?"

"I have the word," Jenny said, standing up, grinning.

"We have an arrangement," Davros said, trying to divert the conversation.

"You're their pet!" she continued, ignoring him.

"So very full of fire, aren't they? And to think you crossed entire universes, striding parallel to parallel to find him, only to find him with another." Jenny frowned before Davros' meaning clicked, and then she frowned even more. Rose looked stunned while the Doctor looked repulsed.

"Leave them alone," he snapped.

"They are mine to do with as I please."

"Then why am I still alive?" Rose asked, regaining her composure.

"You must be here," Davros stated. "It was foretold. Even the Supreme Dalek would not dare to contradict the prophecies of Dalek Caan."

_"So cold and dark."_ Jenny looked at the half-dismantled Dalek. _"Fire is coming. The endless flames."_

"What is it?" Rose asked, horrified.

"You've met before," the Doctor replied grimly. "The last of the Cult of Skaro. But it flew into the Time War, unprotected."

"Caan did more then that," Davros corrected. "He saw time. Its infinite complexity and majesty, raging through his mind. And he saw you. The three of you."

_"This I have forseen," _Caan giggled. _"In the wil and the wind. The Doctor will be here as witness, at the end of everything. The Doctor and his Children of Time. And one of them will die!"_ The Doctor slowly grew angry, and Jenny was rather worried.

"Was it you, Caan? Did you kill Donna? Why did the TARDIS door close? Tell me!"

"Oh, that's it," Davros almost purred. "The anger, the fire, the rage of a Time Lord who butchered millions. There he is. Why so shy? Show your companions. Show them your true self. Dalek Caan has promised me that, too."

_"I have seen. At the time of ending, the Doctor's soul will be revealed."_

"What does that mean?" Jenny asked.

"We will discover it together. Our final journey. Because the ending approaches. The testing begins."

"Testing of what?" the Doctor asked, desperately wanting to rush forwards but unable to because of the field.

"The Reality bomb. Behold. The apotheosis of my genius."

A screen appeared above them to show a group of people standing underneath a large circular... something.

_"Four."_ The gravelly voice of the red Dalek came from off screen. _"Three. Two. One. Zero. Activate planetary alignment field."_

The Doctor's eyes widened at the same time as Jenny, who was a whiz in physics and science just like her father. Granted, she wasn't anywhere near his level of intelligence, but with the amount of time he had been teaching her... Well, she was bound to learn plenty.

"That's Z-neutrino energy, flattened by the alignment of the planets into a single string," the Doctor choked out.

"You can't!" Jenny shouted. "No! Don't, please!"

On the screen, the people gently dissolved into nothing from the head down. The image went to static then disappeared. Everyone stared in stunned silence for a few long moments before Rose shakily spoke up.

"What... what happened?"

"Electrical energy, Miss Tyler," Davros answered. "Every atom in existance is bound by an electricual field. The Reality bomb cancels it out. Structure falls apart. That test was focused on the prisoners alone. Full transmission will dissolve every form of matter."

"The stars are going out," Jenny whispered, then glared at Davros. "You're sick, you know that? Dad was right, killing does infect. And it turns people into scum like you." Davros wheeled forwards until he was glaring at Jenny, a couple feet away.

"The twenty seven planets become a transmitter, _Jenny_," he hissed. "Blasting that wavelength across the entire universe. Never stopping, never faltering, never fading. People and planets and stars will become dust, and the dust will become atoms, and the atoms will become nothing. And the wavelength will continue, breaking through the Rift at the heart ofthe Medusa Cascade into every dimension, every parallel, every single corner of creation. My ultimate victory! The destruction of reality itself!"

Jenny had been poking at the force field while Davros had been ranting, and while it was still quite solid, it was made of energy, and energy always had an off switch. There wasn't much of a chance of her _finding_ the off switch, but everything had to have a weakness.

_"Transmission being sent from planet Earth,"_ the red Dalek's gravelly voice echoed, causing everyone to jump. A screen came up once more in front of them, this time showing Martha instead of the Dalek prisoners.

_"This message is for the Dalek Crucible," _she said. _"Repeat. Can you hear me?"_

"Put me through!" the Doctor demanded, spinning to face Davros.

"It begins," the Dalek creator said softly. "As Dalek Caan foretold."

_"The Children of Time will gather, and one of them will die!"_ Caan giggled yet again. Jenny resumed poking at the energy field.

"Stop saying that," he snapped. "Put me through!"

A pause, and then Martha's eyes widened.

_"Doctor!"_ she exclaimed. _"I'm sorry, I had to-"_

"Oh, but the Doctor is powerless." Davros interrupted her. "My prisoner. State your intent."

_"I've got the Osterhagen Key,"_ she said. _"Leave this planet and its people alone, or I'll use it."_

_Ransom_, the programming whispered to Jenny. _Manipulate the enemy, make them force their hand._

_But what are they ransoming?_

"Osterhagen what?" the Doctor asked, confused. "Martha, what's an Osterhagen Key?" Jenny stopped prodding the force field as Martha looked vaguely sick.

_"There's a chain of twenty five nuclear warheads placed in strategic points beneath the Earth's crust," _she explained. _"If I use the Key, they detonate and the Earth gets ripped apart."_

The Doctor was horrified. Rose remained silent, Jenny slowly shook her head, and Caan was mercifully silent while Davros listened.

"What?!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Who invented _that_? Well, someone called Osterhagen, I suppose- Martha, are you _insane_?" He cut himself off at the end.

_"The Key is to be used if the suffering of the human race is so great, so without hope, that this becomes the final option," _she said sadly, forcing herself to keep her composure.

"That's _never_ an option," the Doctor said darkly.

_"Don't argue with me, Doctor! Because it's more than that. Now, I reckon the Daleks need these twenty seven planets for something. But what if it becomes twenty six? What happens then, Daleks? Would you risk it?"_

Now Jenny felt sick. A choice between the Earth and all its inhabitants or the universe. How could you choose that? How could _anybody _choose?

"She's good," Rose murmured, sending Jenny out of her daze. Martha glanced over to Rose.

_"Who's that?"_

"My name's Rose," the woman responded. "Rose Tyler." A pause.

_"Oh my God. He found you," _Martha breathed.

_"Second transmission, internal," _the red Dalek's voice echoed yet again, and then a second screen came up. Davros still watched in silence.

_"Captain Jack Harkness, calling all Dalek boys and girls," _Jack announced, standing next to three others. One was Sarah Jane, whom Jenny recognized, but the other two were a mystery.

"He's still alive!" Rose gasped. Jenny pursed her lips. What was that supposed to mean? "And that's – that's my mum."

"And Mickey," the Doctor added, clueing Jenny in as to who was who. "Captain, what are you doing?"

_"I've got a Warp Star wired into the mainframe,"_ he responded, motioning to the crystal in his hand, wires crossing every which way. _"I break this shell, and the entire Crucible goes up."_

"You can't!" the Doctor shouted. "Where did you even get a Warp Star?"

_"From me,"_ Sarah Jane said, stepping forwards. _"We had no choice. We saw what happened to the prisoners."_

"Impossible," Davros murmured. "That face. After all these years."

_"Davros,"_ the older woman said coldly. _"It's been a while. Sarah Jane Smith, remember?"_

Jenny kept half an ear on the conversation while she resumed prodding at the force field, this time moving lower to the ground and pressing her fingers at the edge near the floor.

"You were there on Skaro at the very beginning of my creation," Davros continued.

_"And I've learned how to fight since then," _she snapped. _"You let the Doctor go, or this Warp Star gets opened."_

_"I'll do it,"_ Jack added. _"Don't think I wouldn't."_

"Now that's what I call a ransom," Rose said with a nod. Jenny gave a vague hum of agreement, but Rose's concerned question brought again pulled her back. "Doctor?"

She turned to see her father standing there, anguished expression as he watched helplessly. She could understand why – despite being good tactics, the stakes were far too high.

"And the prophecy unfolds," the creator of the Daleks stated ominously.

_"The Doctor's soul is revealed,"_ Caan lauged. _"See him. See the heart of him."_

"The man who abhors violence, never carrying a gun," Davros sneered. "But this is the truth, Doctor. You take ordinary people and fashion _them_ into weapons. Behold, your Children of Time, transformed into murderers. I made the Daleks, Doctor. You made this."

"They're trying to help," he protested weakly.

"Already I have seen them sacrifice today, for their beloved Doctor. The Earth woman who fell opening the Subwave network."

"Who was that?"

"Harriet... Jones?" Jenny said. "I think that's what she said her name was. She made the signal, she brought you here."

"How many more, Doctor?" Davros said, his words conveying his enjoyment as he lorded over them. "Just think. How many more have died in your name? The Doctor, the man who keeps running, never looking back because he dares not out of shame. This is my final victory, Doctor. I have shown you yourself."

_"It's the Crucible or the Earth,"_ Martha said, trying to bring their attention back, to snap the Doctor out of his daze.

_"Transmat engaged!"_ cried a Dalek at a set of controls, causing Jenny to spin around and Martha to cry out as she disappeared. Jack and his group didn't even have time to say anything as they disappeared as well, everyone appearing a mere moment later in the Vault.

"I've got you," Jack muttered, pulling Jackie to her feet. "It's all right."

"Don't move," the Doctor snapped. "All of you, stay still." He made a move to go over to them, but his hand brushed the invisible force field, and he stepped back.

"Guard them!" Davros snarled. "On your knees, all of you. Surrender!"

"Do as he says," Jenny said quietly, shaking her head as she looked at Jack. It was weird, looking at him.

"Mum," Rose whispered. "I told you not to."

"Yeah, but I couldn't leave you," the older blonde protested.

"The final prophecy is in place," Davros laughed. "The Doctor and his children, all gathered as witnesses. Supreme Dalek, the has has come. Now, detonate the Reality bomb!"

_"Activate planetary alignment field. Universal Reality detonation in two hundred rels."_

"You can't, Davros!" the Doctor begged. "Just listen to me! Just _stop_!"

"What would you even do after you blew everything to dust, anyways?" Jenny asked, frantically looking for a way out. "I mean, you'd be bored out of your minds, just sitting here with nothing to do for all of eternity."

Davros just laughed.

"Nothing can stop the detonation. Nothing and no one!"

The young Time Lady was on the verge of trying to break her way through the field -not that it would work, but she still had to try- but then she froze.

That sound.

The TARDIS.

Everybody gaped as the familiar blue box began to materialize. The former companions all stared, unable to believe it. Jenny bounced on the heels of her boots, grinning, while the Doctor just shook his head.

"But that's..."

"...impossible," Davros finished.

The blue box landed with a faint _thud_ in all of its glory, shining with light in the gloom of the Vault.

Then the door opened, and... her dad stepped out?

"Brilliant," Jack said with a laugh.

The new Doctor, Doctor-Two, Jenny would call him, ran forwards, holding some sort of -was that a _gun_?_-_ in his hand.

"Don't!" the Doctor shouted, but it was two late. A zap from Davros' glove sent Doctor-Two sprawling on the floor and the gun to go clattering away.

"Activate holding cell," he said, and a shimmering barrier appeared around Doctor-Two as he groaned and struggled to his feet.

Then Donna -_yes_, she was alive! Really, properly, alive!- ran out and picked up the gun, but she didn't have a clue as to what to do with it. Davros blasted her backwards and out of sight behind a panel, causing Jenny to slam her fists against the shield in frusteration and the Doctor to cry out.

"Donna! Donna! Are you all right? Donna!"

"Destroy the weapon," Davros snapped, and a Dalek obeyed. "I was wrong about your warriors, Doctor. They are pathetic." Doctor and Doctor-Two glared, as did Jenny.

"How come there are two of you?" Rose managed to say through her shock.

"Human biological metacrisis, but never mind that," the Doctor said, distracted. "Now we've got no way of stopping the Reality Bomb."

_"Detonation in twenty rels. Nineteen. Eighteen."_

"Stand witness, Time Lords," Davros sneered. Jenny looked at Doctor-Two with concern as he swayed slightly. "Stand witness, humans. Your strategies have failed, your weapons are useless, and- Oh. The end of the universe has come."

_"Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One."_

An alarm sounded.

"Mmm, closing all Z-neutrino relay loops using an internalized synchronous back-feed reversal loop. That button there."

Jenny let out a whoop at the sight of Donna, calmly tapping away at a terminal with a grin on her face. The Doctor slowly shook his head.

"Donna, you can't even change a plug!"

"Do you want to bet, Time Boy?" she responded with a smirk. Davros wheeled forwards.

"You'll suffer for this," he snarled, raising his gloved hand, but Donna pressed another button and sent the shock traveling back up his arm. He cried out.

"Oh, bio-electric dampening field with a retrograde arc inversion."

"Exterminate her!" the Dalek creator screamed.

_"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!"_

Donna quickly tapped out another command.

_"Weapons non-functional!"_

Donna laughed along with Jenny.

"Macrotransmission of a K-filter wavelength blocking Dalek weaponry in a self-replicatin energy blindfold matrix."

"Brilliant," Jenn said, still grinning.

"How'd you work that out?" the Doctor asked. "You're-"

"-Time Lord," Doctor-Two continued. "Part Time Lord-"

"-part human," Donna finished, grinning widely. "Oh, yes! That was a two-way biological metacrisis. Half Doctor, half Donna!"

"The Doctor Donna," the Doctor said, now starting to smile as well. "Just like the Ood said, remember? They saw it coming. The Doctor Donna."

"Holding cells deactivated!" she announced. "And sealed the Vault."

Everyone stood there, still too surprised to move.

"Well, don't just _stand_ there, you skinny boys in suits. Get to work!" Jenny ran forwards and hugged the woman who was the closest thing she ever had to a mother. The other two Doctors followed suit and gathered around the controls, and Jenny stepped back to let them do their science things.

"Stop them!" Davros shouted. "Get them away from the controls!"

"And... spin," Donna said cheerfully. All the Daleks began spinning around on the floor, waving their weapons and eyestalk in confusion. Jenny, seeing a wonderful opportunity, used the plunger on a nearby Dalek to boost herself up onto its rounded head, where she calmly sat as the Dalek continued to spin.

_"Help me!"_ they shouted, including the one Jenny was sitting on. _"Help me!"_

"And the other way."

The room around Jenny started to spin in the opposite direction as the Daleks continued turning. The Doctor shook his head in amusement, while Doctor-Two stared at Donna.

"But that's brilliant!"

"Why did we never think of that?" Donna laughed.

"Because you two were just Time Lords, you dumbos, lacking that little bit of human. That gut instinct that comes hand in hand with planet Earth. I can think of ideas you two couldn't dream of in a million years! Ah, the universe has been waiting for me! Now, let's send that trip switch all over the ship. Did I ever tell you, best temp in Chiswick?" She waggled her fingers. "Hundred words a minute!"

Both Doctors laughed.

Jack ran into the TARDIS, no doubt for the guns that he and Rose had brought along.

"Come on then, boys!" Donna called. "We've got twenty seven planets to send hom. Activate magnetron!"

"Stop this at once!" Davros ordered as Jack ran back out of the TARDIS, carrying (as she predicted) the two large guns. He opened his mouth to catch someone's attention, probably Mickey as Sarah Jane and Rose were happily pushing spinning Daleks into one another and down corridors. Jenny had other thoughts, having noticed her father being preoccupied with sending the planets back, and jumped off the Dalek to snatch the gun out of his hands. The captain stared at her, but she just smiled and aimed the gun at Davros, point-blank.

"I wouldn't go anywhere if I were you, mister," she said, smile never fading. Davros glared.

"Ready?" Donna called, and, receiving dual nods in return, flipped a switch. "And reverse!"

"Off you go, Clom!" the Doctor called.

"Back home, Adipose Three!" Doctor-Two announced.

"Shallacatop, Pyrovillia, and the Lost Moon of Poosh, sorted," Donna listed. "Ha!"

"We need more power," the Doctor frowned.

"Is anyone going to tell us what's going on?" Rose asked, having successfully moved the Daleks out of the way.

"He poured all of his regeneration into his spare hand," Donna explained. "I touched the hand, and he grew out of that but that fed back into me. But it just stayed dormant in my head till the synapses got that little extra spark, kicking them into life. Thank you, Davros! Part human, part Time Lord. And I got the best bit of the Doctor. I got his mind."

"So there's three of you?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Three Doctors?" Rose echoed.

"I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now," Jack mumbled. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"So..." Jenny said slowly from where she was still guarding Davros and Dalek Caan, although the latter didn't seem to be inclined to do much harm. "If the Doctor's my dad, does that make Donna my mum and the second Doctor my half-brother, or is he like my stepfather or something?"

There was silence.

Rose's eyes widened as she mouthed the words 'progenation machine' to herself, as though she should have realized. The two Daleks remained quiet. Sarah Jane's smile grew to rival the Doctor's on a good day, Jackie looked confused before smiling as well, and Mickey fell over laughing at the expression on Jack's face, which was somewhere between shock and horror. The Doctor, Doctor-Two, and Donna all stood for a moment in thought, then shrugged.

"Not sure," Donna started.

"Then again," the Doctor continued, "that-"

"-isn't really something-" Doctor-Two added on.

"-one thinks about often," Donna finished. Jenny nodded her consent.

"Just a question," she responded, turning back to Davros while the Doctor looked at Donna.

"You're so unique the timelines were converging on you. Human being with a Time Lord brain- Jenny, where'd you get that gun?"

Mickey just laughed all the harder.

"But you promised me, Dalek Caan," Davros spat, effectively ending the conversation. "Why did you not forsee this?" The Doctor stepped forwards.

"Oh, I think he did. Something's been manipulating the timelines for ages, getting Donna Noble to the right place at the right time."

_"This always would have happened,"_ Caan agreed. _"I only helped, Doctor."_

"You betrayed the Daleks!" Davros practically gaped.

_"I saw the Daleks. What we have done, throughout time and space. I saw the truth of us, Creator, and I decreed no more!"_

"Heads up!" Jack called, having snapped out of whatever daze he was in. They looked to see the Supreme Dalek coming down through a lowering panel from the ceiling.

_"Davros,"_ it growled. _"You have betrayed us."_

"It was Dalek Caan-" Davros started, but the Supreme Dalek continued talking over him, zapping the control panel and causing the those near it to shy away.

_"The Vault will be purged. You will all be exterminated."_ Jack powered up the weapon he was holding.

"Like I was saying, feel this!"

An extended blast, and the Supreme Dalek was nothing more than scattered metal and a scorch mark on the floor.

"We've lost the magnetron," the Doctor frowned, looking at the fried terminal. "And there's only one planet left. Oh, guess which one."

_Earth_.

"But we can use the TARDIS!" He ran into the TARDIS while Doctor-Two made sure the controls, or what was left of them, stayed stable.

"Holding Earth stability. Maintaining atmospheric shell."

_"The prophecy must complete,"_ Caan giggled.

"Don't listen to him," Davros snapped.

_"I have seen the end of everything Dalek, and you must make it happen, Doctor."_ Doctor-Two nodded, as though coming to a realization.

"He's right," he murmured. "Because with or without a Reality Bomb, this Dalek Empire's big enough to slaughter the cosmos. They've got to be stopped." Donna looked worried, and Jenny lowered the gun slightly and turned around.

"Just- just wait for the Doctor," Donna said. Doctor-Two shook his head.

"I _am_ the Doctor. Maximizing Dalekanium power feeds, blasting them back!"

Explosions started to echo around them, coming from everywhere on the Crucible and reverberating through the metal. The Doctor ran back out of the TARDIS as Jenny stared.

"What have you done?" he shouted over the sudden noise.

"Fulfilling the prophecy."

"Do you know what you've done?" the Doctor asked incredulously, then shifted aside slightly. "Get into the TARDIS! Everyone! All of you, inside! Run! In, in, in, in!"

Jenny was the first through the doors.

"Sarah Jane! Rose! Jackie! Jack! Mickey!"

The five other companions ran in after her, followed by Doctor-Two. Jenny's dad turned out to look at Davros and Dalek Caan, barely visible through the falling debris and the fire.

"Davros! Come with me! I promise, I can save you."

"Never forget, Doctor, you did this!" Davros screamed. "Forvever, you are the Destroyer of Worlds!"

The doors slammed shut, but not before Jenny heard an echo of Caan's last laugh.

_"One will still die..."_

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor was prepping for flight, pulling myriads of levers and all other sorts of things. The companions were all standing around the console, grinning widely at their success. Jenny found herself standing in between Jack and Sarah Jane.

"So you're his daughter, then?" the older woman asked, smiling. Jenny nodded brightly, and Jack buried his face in his hands. Next to Jack, Mickey went back into hysterics. Both Doctors rolled their eyes while Donna was peering over at the scanner screen next to the original Doctor. Doctor-Two was standing next to Rose.

"Well, technically," she amended, "but it's close enough. His DNA was extrapolated into a progenation machine and I was the result..."

She then launched off into technical specifics of the process, and Sarah Jane began to look rather lost after the first couple of sentences. Mickey leaned over to Jack.

"She even talks like the Doctor!" he muttered.

The Doctor then pulled the dematerialization lever as a blast rocked them from side to side.

"And off we go!" he called.

"But what about the Earth?" Sarah Jane asked, sensing an opening in Jenny's complex explanation. "It's stuck in the wrong part of space." The Doctor just grinned.

"I'm on it. Torchwood Hub, this is the Doctor. Are you receiving me?" On the scanner, the woman seen with Jack and Ianto appeared.

_"Loud and clear,"_ she responded. _"Is Jack there?"_

"Can't get rid of him," the Doctor laughed before turning to the man in question. "Jack, what's her name?"

"Gwen Cooper," Jack responded.

"Tell me, Gwen Cooper, are you from an old Cardiff family?" Gwen looked puzzled, but she answered.

_"Yes, all the way make to the eighteen hundreds."_

"Ah, thought so. Spatial genetic multiplicity."

Rose nodded. "Oh, yeah!"

"Yeah, it's a funny old world," the Doctor agreed. "Now, Torchwooed, I want you to open up that Rift Manipulator, send all the power to me."

_"Doing it now, sir,"_ Ianto responded.

"What's that for?" Jenny asked.

"It's a tow rope," the Doctor responded brightly. "Now then, Sarah, what was your son's name?"

"Luke," Sarah Jane responded, smiling at the mention of her son. "He's called Luke. And the computer's called Mister Smith."

"Calling Luke and Mister Smith! This is the Doctor! Come on, Luke. Shake a leg!"

Luke appeared on the screen.

_"Is Mum there?"_ was the first thing he asked.

"Oh, she's fine and dandy," the Doctor assured. "Now, Mister Smith, I want you to harness the Rift power and loop it around the TARDIS. You got that?"

A calm, synthetic voice came from off screen.

_"I regret that I will need remote access to TARDIS base code numerals." _The Doctors winced.

"Ooh, blimey. That's going to take a while."

"No, no, no," Sarah Jane muttered, pushing her way to the screen. "Let me. K-9, out you come!"

_"Affirmative, Mistress!" _came a thin, robotic voice, also off screen. The Doctor laughed.

"Oh! Oh ho! Oh, good dog! K-9, give Mister Smith the base code."

_"Master. TARDIS base code. The process is simple."_ The Doctor then began issuing instructions quickly, talking to everyone in turn.

"Sarah, hold that down." He pointed to a lever. "Mickey, you hold that." He pointed to another lever. "'Cause you know why this TARDIS is always rattling about the place? Rose? That there." He pointed to a hand crank. "It's designed to have six pilots, and I have to do it single handed. Martha, keep that level." Another lever. "But not anymore. Jack, there you go, steady that. Now we can fly this thing-" He paused at Jackie. "No, Jackie. No, no. Not you. Don't touch anything. Just... stand back." Jackie rolled her eyes. "-like it's meant to be flown! We've ot the Torchwood Rift looped around the TARDIS by Mister Smith, and we're going to fly planet Earth back home! Right then. Care to do the honors, Jen?" Jenny pulled down a lever, and they launched.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The first place they landed was a small park to drop off Sarah Jane and Jack. Church bells rang celebrations in the background.

"You know," Sarah Jane said as she stood in front of the Doctor and Jenny. "You act like such a lonely man. But look at you. You've got the biggest family on Earth."

They hugged, and Sarah Jane turned to Jenny.

"You make sure he keeps in touch, all right?" Jenny nodded a smile. "Oh! Got to go, he's only fourteen. It's a long story. And thank you!"

From inside the TARDIS, they could hear Donna calling her family as Jack and Martha came out.

"I told you, no teleport," the Doctor said firmly. "And don't you even _look_ at Jenny the wrong way." They could hear Mickey go back into hysterics yet again inside. "And Martha, get rid of that Osterhagen thing, eh? Save the world one more time." Martha nodded.

"Consider it done."

They both saluted the Doctor and Jenny, both of whom returned it, before walking away.

"You know, I'm not sure about UNIT these days," Jenny heard Jack say. "Maybe there's something else you could be doing?"

Mickey came out next and started following the duo, but the Doctor called him back.

"Oi, where are you going?"

"Well I'm not stupid," Mickey said with a shrug. "I can work out what happens next. And hey, I had a good time in that parallel world, but my gran passed away. Nice and peaceful. She spent her last years living in a mansion. There's nothing there for me now, certainly not Rose."

"But what will you do?" Jenny questioned.

"Anything!" he said, waving around as he walked away. "Brand new life just you watch. See you, boss." He then ran after Jack and Martha. "Hey, you two!"

"Oh, thought I'd got rid of you," Jack laughed as they rounded the corner.

"Just time for one last trip," the Doctor sighed. "Darlig Ulv Stranden. Better known as Bad Wolf Bay."

Doctor-Two, Jenny, and Jackie were the first out of the TARDIS.

"Oh, fat lot of good this is," Jackie grumbled to Doctor-Two. "Back of beyond, blood Norway! I'm going to have to phone your father." This last bit was called to Rose, who was just coming out with the Doctor, Donna, and Jenny. "I was pregnant, do you remember? Had a baby boy."

"Oh, brilliant," he exclaimed. "What did you call him."

"Doctor," Jackie responded with a straight face. Doctor-Two blinked.

"Really?" She swatted his arm.

"No, you plum. He's called Tony."

"Hold on," Rose said, looking around. "This is the parallel universe, right?" The Doctor nodded.

"You're back home."

"And the walls of the world are closing again, now that the Reality Bomb never happened," Donna added. "It's dimensional retroclosure. See, I really get that stuff now!"

"No, but I spent all that time trying to _find_ you. I'm not going back now."

"But you've got to," the Doctor said sadly. "Because we saved the universe, but at a cost. And the cost is him."

He looked at Doctor-Two, who looked back defiantly. "He destroyed the Daleks. He committed genocide. He's too dangerous to be left on his own."

"You made me," Doctor-Two snapped.

"Exactly. You were born in battle, full of blood and anger and revenge. Remind you of someone?"

He looked pointedly at Rose, who remained silent.

"That's me, when we first met. And you made me better. Now you can do the same for him."

"But he's not _you_," Rose protested. Jenny took a couple of steps backwards so she was standing next to Donna.

"He needs you. That's very me."

"But it's better than that, though," Donna piped up. "Don't you see what he's trying to give you? Tell her. Go on!"

"I look like him and I think like him," Doctor-Two said, turning to Rose. "Same memories, same thoughts, same everything. Except I've only got one heart."

"Which means?" Rose asked quietly, as though she was afraid to hope for the answer.

"I'm part human. Specifically, the aging part. I'll grow old and never regenerate. I've only got one life, Rose Tyler. I could spend it with you, if you want."

"You'll... grow old at the same time as me?"

He nodded.

"Together."

Behind them, the TARDIS engine let out a noise of protest, making Jenny jump a bit.

"We've got to go," the Doctor said after glancing back. "This reality is sealing itself off forever."

"But- it's still not right, because the Doctor's still you."

"And I'm him," he responded, nodding at Doctor-Two. Rose stood in thought for a moment or three before speaking.

"All right. Both of you, answer me this. When I last stood on this beach, on the worst day of my life, what was the last thing you said to me? Go on, say it."

The Doctor's expression told Jenny that it hurt to have this conversation.

"I said, 'Rose Tyler'."

"Yeah, and how was that sentence going to end?"

"Does it need saying?"

Rose turned to Doctor-Two.

"And you, Doctor? What was the end of that sentence?"

Doctor-Two took her hands and whispered something into her ear. The Doctor's pain-filled eyes prompted Jenny to gently lead him into the TARDIS while the duo kissed, the start of a long life.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I though we could try the planet Felspoon," Donna said as the Doctor flew the ship. "Just because. What a good name, Feslppon. Apparently, it's got mountains that sway in the breeze. Mountains that move. Can you imagine?"

"And how do you know that?" the Doctor asked.

"Because it's in your head. And if it's in your head, it's in mine!" The Doctor nodded.

"Jen, could you go and fetch a book from the library for me? It's the one on the history of geological currents on the planet of Felspoon." Jenny nodded and left the console room, setting off through the corridors in search of the library.

Unfortunately, today seemed like one of those days in which the corridors kept changing, and she kept getting lost. It didn't seem like she'd be able to find her way back to the console room anytime soon, much less get to the library and back.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"How does it feel?" the Doctor asked once Jenny had left.

"Brilliant! Fantastic! Molto bene! Great big universe, packed into my brain. You know you could fix that chameleon circuit if you just tried hotbinding the fragment links and superseding the binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary-"

She cut herself off with a gasp as the Doctor looked on in pity.

"I'm fine. Nah, never mind Felspoon. You know who I'd like to meet? Charlie Chaplin. I bet he's great, Charlie Chaplin. Shall we do that? Shall we go and see Charlie Chaplin? Shall we? Charlie Chaplin? Charlie Chester. Charlie Brown. No, he's fiction. Friction, fiction, fixing, mixing, Rickston, Brixton-"

Again she cut herself off, but this time her expression was pained.

"Oh my god," she whimpered.

"Do you know what's happening?" the Doctor asked sadly.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "There isn't even a book on Felspoon, isn't there."

"No. And there's never been a human Time Lord metacrisis before now. You know why."

"Because there can't be."

A heavy pause, in which tears filled Donna's eyes.

"I want to stay."

"Look at me," the Doctor said quietly as she turned away. "Donna, look at me."

"I was going to be with you forever."

"I know."

"The rest of me life, traveling in the TARDIS. The Doctor Donna." She started to shake her head frantically, looking for some other way, some way to stop this. "No. Oh my god. I can't go back. Don't make me go back, Doctor, please _please_ don't make me go back." The Doctor looked near tears as he moved forwards.

"Donna. Oh, Donna Noble, I am so sorry. But we had the best of times."

"No."

"The best."

He placed his fingertips on her temples.

"Goodbye."

"No!"

As he held Donna's limp body, he didn't even notice Jenny standing behind him, tears pouring down her face and a book held in her hands.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

At the Noble's household, there was a series of knocks at the door. Wilfred opened the door to see Jenny crying as she held Donna's body and the Doctor looking older than ever.

"Help me," he said quietly.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Down in the sitting room, the Doctor had explained what had happened to Donna while Jenny refused to say a word. Her emotions were a scattered mess – she had gone from elation at everyone winning to confusion and irritance and her father's request and the corridors of the TARDIS to shock and anger and pain when she saw what had happened in her absence, all in less than an hour. She could hardly trust herself to look around without breaking down, much less speak.

"I had to wipe her mind completely," the Doctor said quietly. "Every trace of me, Jen, and the TARDIS. Anything we did together, anywhere we went, had to go."

"All those wonderful things she did," Wilf choked out.

"I knkow. But that version of Donna is dead, because if she remembers, just for a second, she'll burn up."

Jenny squeezed her eyes shut.

"You can never tell her. You can't mention me or any of it for the rest of her life."

"But the whole world's talking about it," Sylvia pointed out. "We traveled across space."

"It'll just be a story. One of those Donna Noble stories, where she missed it all again."

"But she was better with you."

"Don't say that," Sylvia snapped.

"No, she was," Wilf argued.

"I just want you to know there are worlds out there, safe in the sky because of her," the Doctor said, stopping the argument. "That there are people living in the light, and singing songs of Donna Noble, a thousand millioin light years away. They will never forget her, while she can never remember. And for one moment, one _shining_ moment, she was the most important woman in the whole wide universe."

"She still is!" Sylvia said, defending Donna. "She's my daughter."

"Then maybe you should tell her that once in a while."

Sylvia opened her mouth to deliver a scathing retort, but closed it again as she realized it was right. Jenny wiped some of the tears off of her face and moved to look out the window at the rain pouring down from the sky.

"I was asleep, on my _bed_, in my _clothes_, like a flipping kid?" came a loud voice. Jenny let her forehead rest against the cool panes of glass while Donna spoke behind her. "What do you let me do that for?" Then she noticed the company. "Don't mind me. Donna." She pulled out her phone as Jenny turned around slightly.

"John Smith, and my sister, Jenny," the Doctor said.

"The Smiths were just leaving," Sylvia said pointedly.

"My phone's gone mad!" Donna exclaimed. "Thirty two texts. Veena's gone barmy, she's saying planets in the sky. What have I missed now?" She waved distractedly to the Doctor and Jenny as she left the room. "Nice to meet you."

"As I said, I think you should go."

The two Time Lords stood out in the pouring rain as Wilfred bid them farewell.

"You'll have quite a bit of this," the Doctor commented as they got soaked. Jenny was thankful as the water pouring down hid her tears. "Atmospheric disturbance. Still, it'll pass. Everything does. Goodbye, Wilfred."

"But what about you, Doctor? Will the two of you just travel by yourself?"

"Yes, and that's fine. I'm fine."

"I'll watch out for you, sir." The Doctor wasn't quite sure what to say, so he repeated what he had been saying.

"You can't ever tell her."

"But every night, Doctor, when it gets dark, and the stars come out, I'll look up on her behalf. I'll look up at the sky and think of you."

"Thank you, Wilfred," Jenny whispered. The Doctor put an arm around her and led her back to the TARDIS through the pouring rain, and behind them, Wilf saluted.

* * *

**So... By the time I realized that I missed an update, which was around Saturday, I figured that I could just upload the chapter and hope nobody killed me for being a couple days late. Then I went to upload it and realized, that with everything going on, I hadn't even managed to **_**finish**_** the chapter. And then I didn't get a chance to write for almost the rest of the week, and then I had an orthodontist appointment, and on top of all of that I've been running on six-ish hours of sleep a night for the past week. This is twenty-four pages though, so I don't think you should be too horribly upset at me being a week late.**

**Also, fanfiction was being obnoxious and deleted the edits I had made in the Doc Manager, and then it wouldn't let me use the spell check it has to edit again. So I'm fully aware of the errors here, but there's not much I can do about it now. **

**But it's the weekend now, so I'll start working on the next chapter ASAP. Okay?**


	8. The Next Doctor

The Doctor smiled as he stepped out of the TARDIS, which had landed underneath a stone archway, at the falling snow. They had landed in a Victorian-era marketplace, and people were milling about, shouting out what they had to sell, singing carols, buying things.

"Come on, Jen!" he called back into the ship. "Get your coat! It's about time you saw some snow." A moment later, Jenny came out wearing a long black coat similar to her father's. Despite still being upset over Donna's departure, her eyes lit up at the snow floating gently to the ground.

"It's beautiful," she said as one landed on her nose. "And cold!" The Doctor laughed, and the two wandered through the market. Jenny gained a few odd looks due to her out-of-place clothing, as did the Doctor, but they just ignored it and continued on.

"You there, boy," the Doctor said, pointing to a young boy, maybe seven. "What day is this?"

"Christmas Eve, sir, ma'am," the boy replied, turning around.

"What year?"

"You thick or something?" Jenny laughed while the Doctor frowned.

"Oi! Just answer the question."

"Year of our Lord, 1851, sir, ma'am." The Doctor nodded as the boy went back to whatever he had been doing before.

"Right. Nice year. Bit dull."

"Doctor! Doctor!"

Father and daughter looked at one another.

"Who, me?" the Doctor said, confused. Jenny just rolled her eyes.

"Who else?"

They ran towards the sound of the voice, winding up in an alleyway next to a dark-skinned woman.

"Doctor!" she shouted again.

"Don't worry, don't worry," the Doctor assured. "Stand back. What have we got here?"

The large doors in the wall in front of them shook as something slammed against it and snarled.

"Ooo. Okay, I've got it. Whatever's behind that door, I think you should get out of here."

"Doctor!" the woman shouted again. Jenny looked at her, rather bewildered.

"No, no, I'm standing right here," the Doctor said with a frown. "Hello."

"Don't be stupid," the woman scoffed. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor, that's Jenny."

"Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor."

"Well there can't be two of you!"

As they were arguing, another man ran past Jenny and skidded to a halt beside the other woman.

"Where the hell have you been?" the woman shouted at him.

"Right then," the man said, slightly out of breath. He had a slightly rounded face, dark brown hair, and wore clothes matching the time period, rather fancy, but not too inconspicuous. A watch chain was hanging from underneath his jacket. His voice had a deep, rich tone. "Don't worry. Stand back. What have we got here?" He turned to the door.

"Hold on, hold on," the Doctor said, looking at the other man, who calmly looked back. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor," the man said with a proud smile. "Simply the Doctor. The one, the only, and the best. Rosita, give me the sonic screwdriver."

"The what?" the Doctor asked as the other woman, Rosita, hand him the device.

"Now quickly, get back to the TARDIS."

"Back to the _what_?" Jenny echoed.

"If you could stand back, sir, madam," the other Doctor said -what was she supposed to call this one? Was he even the Doctor?- looking at the two of them. "This is a job for a Time Lord."

"Job for a _what_ lord?!"

The doors burst open in front of them, revealing a dog-like animal with a metal faceplate attached to its head.

"Oh, that's different," the Doctor said at the same time the other said, "Oh, that's new."

They both pointed their sonic screwdrivers at it.

"Allons-y!" they both said, then gave each other sidelong glances.

"I've been hunting this beast for a good fortnight," the other Doctor said. "Now step back, sir."

The beast leaped over their heads and landed on the opposite wall, a little ways above them. Now that it was in daylight, Jenny could also see that its feet were also metal.

"Some sort of... primitive conversion, like they took the brain of a cat or a dog," the Doctor mused.

"Well, talking's all very well," the other Doctor muttered. "Rosita?"

"I'm ready," she replied, and tossed him a coil of rope.

"Now, watch and learn!" He swung the rope around like a lasso, and wrapped it around the beast in one try. "Excellent. Now then, let's pull this timorous beastie down to earth!"

Instead of that, however, the beast began to climb up the wall, pulling the other Doctor along with it.

"Or not," the Doctor said lightly.

"I might be in a little bit of trouble," the other Doctor called down.

"Nothing changes," came the dry reply. "I've got you." He grabbed onto the rope as well, but then the beast just started pulling them up even faster.

"You idiots!" Rosita shouted as Jenny buried her head in her hands, exasperated.

"Perhaps if you could pull?" the other Doctor asked the Doctor.

"I am pulling!" he called back. "In this position, I couldn't not pull, could I?"

The beast jumped through a window on the top floor, and they were pulled up some more.

"Then I suggest you let go, sir!"

"I'm not letting you out of my sight, Doctor," the Doctor said. "Don't you recognize me?"

"No, should I? Have we met? This is hardly the time for me to go through my social calendar!"

They both shouted as they were pulled through the window. Jenny rolled her eyes, then glanced over at Rosita.

"He can be a real idiot," Rosita muttered. Jenny just nodded and picked up an axe that was leaning against the side of the alley.

"Agreed. Come on, then!"

The two ran into the warehouse and up the stairs as quickly as they good, Jenny taking the steps three at a time. Rosita kept up remarkably well, despite wearing a heavy dress as was typical for the time period.

They got to the top floor just in time to see the beast jump out the window, both Doctors still clinging to the rope.

"We're gonna fall!" one shouted, although Jenny couldn't tell who. She ran forwards and slammed the axe against the rope, cutting it and causing the Doctors to skid to a halt. The two gingerly got to their feet before looking at each other and bursting into laughter.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I'm glad you think it's so funny," Rosita snapped as they walked back down the alley. The two Doctors were still holding onto each other for support, still laughing. "You're mad. Both of you. You could've got killed!"

"But evidently we did not," the other Doctor responded, finally calming down. "Oh, I should introduce Rosita. My faithful companion, always telling me off."

"Well, they do, don't they?" the Doctor commented. "Rosita. Good name. Hello, Rosita." The woman gave a distracted nod.

"Now I'll have to go and dismantle the traps. All that for nothing, and we've only got twenty minutes till the funeral, don't forget. Then back to the TARDIS, yeah?" She left, walking down the alleyway in the opposite direction.

"Funeral?" Jenny asked.

"Oh, long story," the other Doctor said. "Not my own, not yet." He cracked his back. "Oh, I'm not as young as I was."

"Well, not as young as you were when you were me."

Jenny watched the two carefully.

"When I was who?" The other Doctor seemed genuinely confused.

"You really don't recognize me?"

"Not at all."

"But you're the Doctor," the Doctor protested. "The next Doctor. Or the next but one. A future Doctor, anyway." Anticipating a response, he quickly continued. "No, no, don't tell me how it happened. Although, I hope I don't just trip over a brick. That'd be embarrassing. Then again, painless. Worse ways to go." He paused. "Depends on the brick."

"You're gabbling, sir," the other Doctor snapped. "Now, might I ask, who are you, exactly?" The Doctor floundered before answering.

"Now, I'm- er- I'm just- Smith. John Smith. But I've heard all about you, Doctor. Bit of a legend, if I say so myself. This is my- _sister_. Jenny." The other Doctor smiled at the greeting and gave them each a nod.

"Modesty forbids me to agree with you, sir," he responded. "But yes. Yes, I am."

"A legend with certain memories missing. Right?" Jenny looked at the other Doctor pointedly, who looked back in surprise.

"How do you know that?"

"You've forgotten him." She nodded to her father. "You've also forgotten me." The other Doctor sighed.

"Great swathes of my life have been stolen away. When I turn my mind to the past... there is nothing."

"Going how far back?" the Doctor questioned.

"Since the Cybermen," the other Doctor said, and Jenny saw her father stiffen in surprise. "Masters of that hellish wall-scuttler and old enemies of mine, now at work in London town." He lowered his voice. "You won't believe this, sir, madam, but they are creatures from _another world_."

"Really," the Doctor said, feigning surprise. "Wow."

"Fascinating," Jenny replied in the same tone.

"It's said they fell onto London, out of the sky in a blaze of light. And they found me. Something was taken. And something was lost. What was I like, in the past?"

He seemed lost in thought, gazing up at the cold gray sky.

"I don't think I should say," the Doctor murmured in reply. "Sorry, got to be careful with memory loss. One wrong word-"

"It's strange, though." The Doctor stopped talking as the other Doctor started. "I talk of Cybermen from the stars and you don't even blink, both of you." The Doctor gave a light smile.

"Ah, don't blink! Remember that?"

The other Doctor looked at him blankly.

"Whatever you do, don't blink?" he elaborated.

Still no response.

"Sally and the Angels? No?"

"You're a very odd man," the other Doctor stated.

"Hmm. Still am," he mumbled, too quiet for the other to hear. "Something's wrong here."

"Oh, the funeral!" the other man exclaimed. "The funeral's at two o'clock. It's been a pleasure Mr. Smith, Ms. Smith. Don't breathe a word of it."

"Oh, but can't I come with you?" the Doctor asked as the other Doctor began to walk away.

"It's far dangerous," the other man said, turning and shaking his head. "Rest assured, I shall keep this city safe." He started to walk, then paused and turned around again. "Oh! And, er, merry Christmas, Mr. Smith, Ms. Smith.

"Merry Christmas, Doctor," the Doctor said with a grin.

Jenny pulled her cloak tighter around her as the Doctor followed the other Doctor at a distance.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor paced along briskly, Jenny a few feet behind him. Although he didn't show it, he was worried.

It had been a week since they had brought Donna home, and Jenny hadn't been anything remotely close to her cheerful self. He didn't blame her, his hearts were still torn to shreds over the loss, over _all _the losses. But he hated seeing her so upset. If she was upset, then he was upset, and he had a feeling that if he was upset it wouldn't be helping things, therefore making Jenny even _more_ upset. He'd cancelled the lessons they'd been having, giving her time to mourn in the depths of the TARDIS.

After a week, she had hardly spoken more than a sentence a day, and that was when asked a complex, direct question that she couldn't answer with something monosyllabic. So, to cheer her up, he landed the TARDIS in Victorian England on Christmas Eve. While she was sleeping, he could run out and do some last-minute Christmas shopping, and then they could have a proper Christmas, father and daughter.

...Oh, it had so long since he had been a father. He hoped he was doing it right.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny tapped her father on the shoulder, then nodded towards a house off the side of the road. The other Doctor was sneaking around, probably to a back door. The Doctor jogged over, sonicked the lock, and the two stepped inside. They made their way slowly through the empty, well-kept cottage, and towards the back door, where they could hear the lock fiddling.

The Doctor opened it, grinning.

"Hello," he said brightly.

"How did you get in?" the other Doctor asked, straightening up.

"Oh, front door," the Doctor said dismissively. "I'm good with doors, although Jenny's not bad herself. Er, do you mind my asking, is that your sonic screwdriver?"

"Yes, I'd be lost without it."

It was an ordinary screwdriver. Jenny raised an eyebrow.

"But that's just a screwdriver." The Doctor voiced her thoughts. "How's it sonic?"

The other Doctor frowned, then tapped it against the door.

"Well, it makes a noise. That's sonic, isn't it? Now, since we're acting like common burglars, I suggest we get out of plain view."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The trio walked through the house.

"This investigation of yours, what's it about?" the Doctor asked as the future Doctor urgently rummaged through drawer after drawer and flipped through books.

"It started with a murder," the other Doctor responded grimly.

"Oh, good," the Doctor said with a nod, but quickly continued at Jenny's glare, accompanied by the other Doctor, who paused in his search. "I mean, bad, but whose?"

"Mr. Jackson Lake, a teacher of mathematics from Sussex. He came to London three weeks ago and died a terrible death."

"Cybermen?" Jenny asked, tilting her head to one side.

"It's hard to say, Ms. Smith. His body was never found. But then _it_ started. More secret murders, then abductions. Children, stolen away in silence." Jenny nodded slowly, resuming her silent walk. The Doctor continued asking questions to fill the silence.

"So whose house is this?"

"The latest murder. The Reverend Aubrey Fairchild, found with burns to his forehead, like... some advanced form of electrocution."

Jenny frowned.

"But who was he? Was he important?" The other Doctor turned around and looked at them.

"You two ask a lot of questions," he stated. The Doctor shrugged.

"We're your companions." The other Doctor continued looking at them for a few moments, and then they just continued moving through the house.

"The Reverend was the pillar of the community, a member of many parish boards," he explained. "A keen advocate of children's charities."

"Children again," Jenny said softly. The Doctor glanced at her in surprise, but he didn't say anything. Maybe this excursion was doing her a little bit of good.

"But why would the Cybermen want him dead?" he mused. "And what's his connection to the first death, this Jackson Lake?"

The other Doctor sighed, then once more gave the two a searching gaze.

"It's funny," he said quietly. There wasn't any accusation in his tone, just curiosity and slight confusion. "I seem to be telling you everything, the both of you... as though you engendered some sort of... trust. You seem familiar, Ms. Smith, and you even more so, sir. I know your faces. But how?"

"I wonder..." the Doctor sighed, then glanced down at the fob watch hanging from his pocket. "I can't help but notice you're wearing a fob watch." Jenny followed his gaze, and the other Doctor looked down, fingering the watch.

"Is that important?" he asked.

"Legend has it," the Doctor said softly, "that the memories of a Time Lord can be contained within a watch." He hesitantly reached forwards before glancing up. "Do you mind?" The other Doctor handed him the watch. "It's said, that if it's opened..."

He fingered the clasp, then opened it.

Jenny sighed as the inner workings of the watch clattered to the floor. Both Doctors blinked.

"Oh. Maybe not." The other Doctor took the watch back.

"It was more for decoration..." he said, frowning.

"Yeah," her father quickly agreed. "Anyway. Alien infiltration."

"Yes," the other Doctor said with a nod. "Just look for anything different. Possibly metal. Anything that doesn't seem to belong. Perhaps a mechanical device that could fit no Earthly engine." The Doctor nodded and turned to a writing desk, subtly pulling _his_ sonic out of his coat pocket and turning it on. The other Doctor went to the opposite side of the room. Jenny trailed her fingers along a bookshelf, over the old, worn covers. She wondered how old they had to be if they were old now. The Doctor started scanning the drawers with the sonic.

"It could even seem to be organic, but unlike any organism of the natural world," the other Doctor finished, then whirled around, hearing the whirring of the sonic. The Doctor quickly tucked the screwdriver back into his pocket. "Shush! What's that noise?"

"Oh- it's just- me. Whistling." He whistled a bad impression of the sonic, and Jenny gave a small smile. "I wonder what's in here, though."

The two moved forwards as the Doctor opened the drawer in the desk, and Jenny frowned slightly at the foot-long metal cylinders. "Ah. Different _and_ metal. You were right." He lifted two of them out of the desk. "They're infostamps," he said with confidence, then quickly glanced at the other Doctor. "I mean, at a guess. If I were you, I'd say they worked something like this."

He turned one towards the wall and pressed a button, and images were projected onto the wall like an old style movie."See?" he said as the images flashed by. "Compressed information. Tons of it. That is the history of London, 1066 to the present day. This is like a disc, a Cyberdisc. But why would the Cybermen need something so simple? They've got to be wireless. Unless, they're in the wrong century. They haven't got much power."

Jenny tentatively placed a hand on the other Doctor's shoulder as he sat heavily in a chair, staring at the infostamp, while the Doctor continued talking.

"...need plain old basic infostamps to update..."

"Are you all right?" she asked quietly. The other Doctor looked at her with haunted eyes, an expression she had only ever seen on her father's face, and never for long.

"I'm fine," the other man said faintly. The Doctor shook his head.

"No, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I've seen one of those before," he murmured, his tone growing hysterical. "I was holding this device the night I lost my mind. The night I regenerated." The Doctor looked grim. "The Cybermen, they made me change. My mind, my face, my whole self. And you were there." He looked at the Doctor, placing a hand against his face. "You were, Mr. Smith, you were there. Who are you?"

"A friend," the Doctor said quietly. "I swear. We both are."

"Then I beg you, John, Jenny. Help me."

The Doctor smiled.

"Two words I never refuse," the Doctor said. "But it's not a conversation for a dead man's house. It'll make more sense if we go back to the TARDIS."

"Your TARDIS," Jenny added. The Doctor nodded his agreement, then paused.

"I just need to do a little final check," the Doctor said, running around the room and opening doors. Jenny just put an arm around the other man's shoulders, frowning ever so slightly as she felt a single heartbeat against her skin. Her own hearts pounded against her chest in a beat of four, but this was only a beat of two. "Won't take a tick. There's just one more thing I cannot figure." He started moving towards a door. "If this room's got infostamps, then maybe, just maybe, it's got something that needs infostamping." He opened the door.

Jenny instinctively stepped in front of the other Doctor at the sight of a silver man of metal, a Cyberman.

"Okay!" the Doctor said, and quickly slammed the door shut. "I think we should run."

The Cyberman smashed the door down.

They ran.

"Run, Doctor!" the Doctor shouted. "Now, Doctor!"

"Delete. The Doctor will be deleted."

Jenny shivered at the cold mechanical tones, so eerily similar to the Daleks. They started running for the door on the other side of the room, then turned around as another Cyberman appeared in the doorway.

"Delete," it said.

"Stairs!" the Doctor shouted. "Can't lead them outside!"

Jenny grabbed a sword off of the wall while the Doctor pushed the other Doctor upstairs, grabbing something as he did so. He frowned when he realized he was holding an umbrella and not, in fact, a sword like he intended.

"You don't want to come near them, right now, not when I'm this mad," Jenny said calmly, slowly backing up, keeping the Cybermen at swordpoint.

"Delete."

"Really, you don't."

She blocked one of their hands with the sword.

"This is your last warning."

She blocked another attack with the sword.

"No? Okay, this really is your last warning! Oh, I give up."

The Doctor pulled her back behind him, stepping forwards himself.

"Delete."

"Listen to me properly," the Doctor snapped as they continued to move backwards. Jenny moved so she was standing beside him, again blocking an attack with the cutlass. "Whatever you're doing stuck in 1851, I can help! I mean it. I'm the only person in the world who can help you! Listen to me!"

"Delete." Another block. They were nearly on the landing at the top of the stairs.

"Run up the stairs," Jenny whispered to the other Doctor. "We can keep them off while you get out of here, get back to the TARDIS. We'll be fine."

"Delete."

"I'm not leaving the two of you here!"

_Well, he's still stubborn._

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor shouted. "You need me. Check your memory banks! My name's the Doctor. Leave this man alone! The Doctor is me!"

Jenny pushed the Doctor behind her, this time, and sent a kick straight to the Cyberman's chest. The first one fell back into the second one and they fell back down the stairs.

"Delete."

Jenny and the Doctor continued backing up, now on the landing. Behind them, the other Doctor started fiddling with the infostamp.

"The Doctor, remember? I'm the Doctor! You need me alive. You need the Doctor, and that's me!"

The Cyberman in front grabbed the Doctor and forced him to the ground. Jenny reached for the sword, but the other Cyberman grabbed it and forced her to her knees.

"Delete."

Then they exploded, beams of light going into their chests, causing them to fall to their knees and their heads to explode. Jenny raised her arm up to deflect any shrapnel.

"Infostamp with a Cyclo-Steinham core," the Doctor said, grinning at his future counterpart. "You ripped open the core and broke the safety. Zap! Only the Doctor would think of that."

"I did that last time," he murmured faintly, swaying slightly, leaning against the door frame. Jenny took the infostamp from his hand before he dropped it.

"Come here," the Doctor said quietly, pulling a stethoscope out of his pocket and putting it on. "You'll be okay. Just let me check." The other Doctor looked at him wearily, with such a tired expression.

"You told them you were the Doctor. Why did you do that?"

"Oh, I was just protecting you," the Doctor said, checking his heartbeat.

"You're trying to take away the only thing I've got, like they did. They stole something, something so precious, but I_ can't remember_. What happened to me? What did they do?"

The Doctor put the stethoscope back into his pocket.

"We'll find out," he said. "The three of us. Together."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The trio walked down an alleyway towards where the future Doctor said the TARDIS was parked. The Doctor leaned over to whisper in Jenny's ear so that the other Doctor wouldn't hear.

"He only had one heart."

"I know," she whispered in reply. "He's not a Time Lord, he's human. But he thinks he's you."

"Exactly," he responded. "And that's never a good thing."

They turned a corner to see Rosita at the opposite end of the alley. She looked up, saw them, and dashed forwards to nearly tackle the future Doctor in a hug.

"Doctor! Oh, I thought you were dead!" she exclaimed. The other Doctor laughed, returning the hug before gently pushing her away.

"Now then, Rosita," he laughed. "A little decorum."

"You've been gone for so long!" she said, then looked at the Doctor and Jenny. "He's always doing this, leaving me behind. Going frantic!"

"What about the TARDIS?" the other Doctor asked, stopping her rant.

"Oh, she's ready," Rosita grinned. "Come on."

They nearly ran around the corner, and the Doctor rubbed his hands together.

"I'm looking forward to this," he said, following.

Jenny trailed along behind.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They walked into a small, wooden building, where stables normally used for horses had been converted into living space.

"You were right though, Rosita," the other Doctor said as he rummaged around. "The Reverend Fairchild's death was the work of the Cybermen."

"So, you live here?" Jenny asked quietly, looking around the abandoned stables and the piles of luggage.

"A temporary base, until we rout the enemy," he replied. "The TARDIS is magnificent, but it's hardly a home."

"And where's the TARDIS now?" the Doctor asked.

"In the yard," he said, waving a hand dismissively. The Doctor blinked.

"What's all this luggage?" Jenny asked, running her fingers over a small trunk with a set of initials engraved onto it. _FL_.

"Evidence," the future Doctor said. "The property of Jackson Lake, the first man to be murdered." He looked over at his friend while the Doctor started scanning the luggage. "Oh, but my new friends are fighters, Rosita, much like myself. John risked his own life many times over, and Jenny faced the Cybermen with only a cutlass. I'm not ashamed to say that they were braver than I. They were quite brilliant." A pause, in which the sonic was the only thing heard. Rosita stared at the Doctor with wide eyes while the other Doctor turned around.

"Are you whistling again?" he asked. The Doctor turned around, hiding the screwdriver behind his back, pasting a look of innocence on his features.

"Yes," he said, rather unconvincingly. "Yes. I am, yeah. Yeah." The future Doctor turned back around. Jenny knelt down next to the initialed suitcase, fingering the buckles holding it shut. The Doctor gave Rosita a pointed look as he put the sonic back into his pocket, holding a finger to his lips before taking a suitcase off of the pile.

"That's another man's property," Rosita protested.

"Well, a dead man's," the Doctor countered, opening it. "How did you two meet, then?"

"He saved my life," Rosita said quietly. Jenny stood up and moved over to join them. "Late one night, by the Osterman's Wharf... This creature came out of the shadows. A man made of metal. I thought I was going to die. And then... there he was. The Doctor." She frowned slightly and looked at the two of them. "Can you help him, sir, ma'am? He has such terrible dreams. Wakes at night in such a state of terror." The future Doctor, evidently having heard them, walked over.

"Come now, Rosita," he admonished, although not unkindly. "With all the things a Time Lord has seen... everything he's lost... he may surely have bad dreams." The Doctor closed his eyes briefly, and Jenny frowned. The other man had a point. How often had she actually seen her dad sleep? She'd known him for a nearly a month, now, and she was fairly sure he'd only slept once.

"Yeah," her father said quietly, serious, but then he was back with his manic energy. "Oh, now," he pulled an infostamp out of the clothes in the suitcase. "Look. Jackson Lake had an infostamp."

"But how?" the other Doctor asked. "Is that significant?" The Doctor looked at him seriously.

"Doctor," he said, "the answer to all this is in your TARDIS. Can we see it?"

The other Doctor smiled.

"Mister Smith, Miss Smith, it would be my honor."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"There she is," the future Doctor said proudly as they walked into the yard. "My transport through time and space! The TARDIS."

Jenny stared.

"You've got a... balloon," the Doctor managed to say after a few moments, voicing her thoughts.

"TARDIS," the future Doctor corrected. "T – A – R – D – I – S. Stands for Tethered Aerial Release Developed In Style. Do you see?" The Doctor nodded slowly, while Jenny continued to look on in awe.

"Well, now I do," he said. "I like it. Good. TARDIS. Brilliant. Nice one. And is it inflated by gas, yeah?"

"We're adjacent to the Mutton Street Gasworks," the other Doctor said, walking over to a young man and slapping a note into his hand. "I pay them a modest fee. Good work, Jed."

"Glad to be of service, sir," Jed replied, smiling.

"You've got quite a bit of money," Jenny commented.

"Oh, you get nothing for nothing," he sighed. "How's that ripped panel, Jed?"

"All repaired," he replied. "Should work a treat. You never know, maybe tonight's the night, Doctor. Imagine it, seeing Christmas from above."

"You've never actually been up?" The Doctor seemed genuinely surprised.

"He dreams of leaving, but he never does," Rosita explained softly.

"I can depart in the TARDIS once London is safe," the other Doctor said. "And finally, when I'm up there... Think of it, John, Jenny. The time and the space."

"The perfect escape," the Doctor agreed, looking over at Jenny. She gave a slight nod, fairly sure that they had both come to the same conclusion. "Do you ever wonder what you're escaping from?"

"With every moment."

"Then do you want me to tell you? Because I think I've worked it out now. How you became the Doctor. What do you think? Do you want to know?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"The story begins with the Cybermen," the Doctor explained as the three of them sat in the stables on bales of hay. "A long time away, and not so far from here, the Cybermen were fought, and they were beaten."

Jenny listened with rapt attention, having heard so little of her father's stories.

"They were sent into a howling wilderness called the Void, locked inside forever more. But then a greater battle rose up, so great that everything must have fallen through the dimensions, back in time, to land here. And they found you."

"I fought them, I know that," the future Doctor conceded with a nod. "But what happened?"

"At the same time, another man came to London," Jenny continued. "Jackson Lake. Plenty of luggage, money in his pocket. Don't know why he came, but he was here, and he found the Cybermen too. And like you did, exactly like you did, he took an infostamp."

"But he's dead," the other Doctor pointed out. "Jackson Lake is dead. The Cybermen murdered him."

"You said no body was ever found," Jenny countered. "And you kept everything he brought with him, but you never opened it."

"I told you the answer was in the fob watch," the Doctor said. "Can I see?"

The case was plain except for two initials. _JL_.

_J_ackson _L_ake.

"Jackson Lake," Jenny said. "The watch is Jackson Lake's."

Jackson stared at the watch. Rosita, eyes wide in surprise, looked over at him.

"Jackson Lake is... _you_, sir?"

"But I'm the Doctor," Jackson said quietly.

"You became the Doctor because the infostamp you picked up was a book about one particular man."

He took the infostamp that he had found in Jackson's luggage and aimed it at the wall. Jenny tilted her head to one side as faces flashed across the screen.

An elderly man.

A slightly younger man with a recorder.

A slightly older man than the previous.

A younger man with a wide smile.

A far younger man.

A slightly pudgy man with an odd jacket.

An older man with a sweater of question marks.

A young man in Victorian dress.

A slightly older man with hardened eyes.

And her father.

"That's you," Jackson said, looking at the image. The Doctor turned the infostamp off.

"Time Lord, TARDIS, enemy of the Cybermen. The one and the only. You see, the infostamp must have backfired. Streamed all that information about me right inside your head."

"I am nothing but a lie," Jackson moaned, slowly dropping his head into his hands. The Doctor's expression morphed to concern while Jenny shook her head in a vehement _no_.

"No, no, no, no, no," the Doctor said quickly. "Infostamps are just facts and figures. All that bravery... Saving Rosita, defending London town, hm? And the invention! Building a TARDIS. That's all _you_."

"And what else?" he whispered. "Tell me what else."

"There's still something missing," Jenny said quietly.

"I demand you tell me, sir, madam," Jackson said, looking up at them with tear-filled eyes. Rosita looked on in concern. "Tell me what they took."

"I'm sorry," Jenny said softly. "That's just too much luggage for one person, even a rich one."

"An infostamp is plain technology," the Doctor said sadly. "It's not enough to make a man lose his mind. What you suffered is called a fugue. A fugue state, where the mind just runs away because it can't bear to look back. You wanted to become someone else, because Jackson Lake had lost so much."

A church bell began to toll the hour.

"Midnight," Rosita said, looking up. "Christmas day."

"I remember," Jackson nearly whimpered, and everyone turned around to look at him. "Oh my God. Caroline." He looked up, horror-struck. "They killed my wife. They killed her." He buried his face in his hands while Rosita rubbed sympathetic circles on his back. Jenny wrapped her black coat tightly around her.

The Doctor frowned as the infostamps started beeping wildly in his hands, getting quicker as he moved towards one of the trunks. Opening it up, his eyes widened as he pulled out dozens more all attached to a thick strap.

"Oh, you found a whole cache of infostamps."

"But what is it?" Rosita asked, referring to the beeping. "What's that noise?"

"Activation," he replied, setting the infostamps back down. "A call to arms. The Cybermen are moving!"

The Doctor turned and ran out the door, disappearing from sight. The trio sat in silence, Rosita still at Jackson's side, but then he looked up at the two of them.

"The Doctor needs help," he said to Rosita, standing up and walking over to a pile of the suitcases. "I learned that much about him. There should be someone at his side, and the more the better." This last part was directed at Jenny. "Now go." Rosita stared. "Go."

She turned and went quickly after the Doctor. Jenny stood in silence, watching Jackson as he stared at the luggage.

"You should be with him as well, Jenny," he said. Jenny walked over so she was standing next to him, looking up at his face.

"I lost someone, once," she said quietly. "Not long ago. She was almost like a mother to me, and now she'll never recognize me." Jackson gazed at her with sad eyes. "And it hurts. I know it hurts. But you'll heal. You'll mourn, but you will heal, and know that they can sleep forever, safe." He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Jenny," he said. "You are a kind soul, but the Doctor needs you, not I."

"Everyone needs someone," she countered.

"But not all the time. Run, Jenny. Help them."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny caught up to her father and Rosita, who were standing in an alley watching children walk past.

"There's dozens of them," Rosita was saying.

"But what for?" Jenny asked, startling the two. "What's happening?" They continued following the children, and eventually came to the outside of a building, where the children were being led inside.

"That's the door to the sluice," Rosita explained as they backed away. "All the sewage runs through there, straight into the Thames."

"Too well guarded," the Doctor muttered. "We'll have to find another way in."

They turned a corner, only to find two Cybermen on guard.

"Whoa!" the Doctor shouted, stepping backwards. "That's cheating, sneaking up! Do you have your legs on silent?"

Jenny nudged her father, nodding to a woman coming out of an adjacent alley, wearing a vibrant red dress to match her parasol, her hair pulled back into a bun.

"So, what do we have here?" she mused, standing in front of the Cybermen.

"Listen," the Doctor said, holding his hand out. "Just walk towards me slowly. Don't let them touch you."

"Oh, but they wouldn't hurt me, my fine boys," she said with a small smile that was closer to a smirk. "They are my knights in shining armor, quite literally."

"Even if they've converted you, that's not a Cyber speech pattern. You've still got free will. I'm telling you, step away."

"There's been no conversion, sir," the woman replied calmly. "No one's ever been able to change my mind. The Cybermen offered me the one thing I wanted. Liberation."

"Who are you?" Rosita asked, and the woman glared.

"You can be quiet. I doubt he paid you to talk. More importantly, who are you, sir, with such intimate knowledge of my companions."

"I'm the Doctor," her father said. Jenny slowly started moving her hand towards her pocket.

"Incorrect," one Cyberman said. "You do not correspond to our image of the Doctor." The Doctor shrugged.

"Yeah, but that's 'cause your database got corrupted." He pulled out an infostamp. "Oh, look, look, look. Check this. The Doctor's infostamp." He tossed it to one of the Cybermen, who caught it with surprising agility. "Plug it in. Go on, download."

"The core has been damaged," the Cyberman said after a moment. "This infostamp would damage Cyberunits."

He shrugged. "Oh, well. Nice try."

"Core repaired," the Cyberman said. "Download." A panel on its chest slid open, revealing a slot, where it plugged the infostamp in. A few seconds later it pulled the stamp back out, the panel sliding shut. "You are the Doctor."

"Hello," the Doctor said with a wave.

"You will be deleted."

"No, no," the Doctor said. "Oh, but let me die happy. Tell me, what do you need those children for?"

"What are children ever needed for?" the woman in red asked with a shrug. "They're a workforce."

_Slaves_, Jenny thought bitterly. _They want children as their slaves_.

"But for what?" the Doctor asked, staring at her with an expression mirroring Jenny's thoughts.

"Very soon now, the whole Empire will see. And they will bow down in worship."

"And it's all timed for Christmas day." The Doctor looked tempted to roll his eyes. "Was that your idea, Miss-?"

"Hartigan," the woman finished. "Yes. The perfect day for a birth, with a new message for the people. Only this time, it won't be the words of a man."

"The birth of what?" Miss Hartigan didn't answer, continuing to talk.

"A birth, and a death. Namely, yours. Thank you, Doctor. I'm glad to have been part of your very last conversation." She motioned to the Cybermen. "Now, delete them."

"Delete."

The Cybermen began stomping forwards, and the Doctor backed away along with Rosita and Jenny, but not a moment too soon, a beam of light came from behind the Cybermen, their heads crackling with electricity as they fell to their knees. Jackson stood behind the fallen robots, holding one infostamp and wearing the rest like a sash.

"At your service, Doctor," he said with a nod. The Doctor grinned.

"Shades!" Miss Hartigan shouted. "Shades!"

"Run!" the Doctor shouted. "Come on!" Jackson ran past, and Jenny moved to his side, but Rosita paused.

"One last thing," she said before rushing forwards and punching Hartigan in the face. The older woman fell to the ground.

"Can I say, I completely disapprove," the Doctor said, pulling them both away.

"If it's any consolation, I agree whole-heartedly," Jenny added as they ran.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"The old stronghold down by the river. I need to find a way in." The Doctor looked imploringly at Jackson and Rosita as the four took a break in an alleyway.

"I'm ahead of you. My wife and I were moving to London so I could take up a post at the university. And while my memory is still not intact, this was in the luggage." He pulled a folded piece of parchment out of his pocket. "The deeds. Fifteen Latimer Street. And if I discovered the Cybermen there, then-"

"-that might be our way in," Jenny said with a nod. "Good strategy."

"There's still more," Jackson said, his tone going back to sadness. "I remember the cellar and my wife, but I _swear _there was something else in that room. If we can find that, perhaps that's the key to defeating these invaders. So, onwards!"

He started off, the Doctor, Jenny, and Rosita behind him.

"Maybe you should go back-" the Doctor started.

"No," Jenny said firmly.

"Don't even try," Rosita snapped.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They made their way down into the cellar, then stopped as they found a Cyberman at the bottom of the stairs, standing guard.

"Delete."

Jackson zapped it with an infostamp, removing the problem. The Doctor ran over to a device that certainly didn't belong in this time period, a thought enforced by the strips of Dalek armor lining the sides.

"It must have been guarding this," the Doctor said. "A Dimension Vault. Stolen from the Daleks again. That's how the Cybermen traveled through time." He spun back around to face them. "Jackson, is this is? The thing you couldn't remember?"

"I don't think so," he replied faintly, shaking his head. "I just can't see- It's like it's hidden." The Doctor glanced over the machine again.

"Not enough power," he muttered, then louder, "Come on! Avanti!"

They ducked through a small passageway and began crawling through tunnels lined with pipes single-file.

"What do the Cybermen want?" Rosita asked as she ducked to avoid a pipe.

"They want us," the Doctor replied grimly. "That's what the Cybermen are. Human beings with their brains put into metal shells. They want every living thing to be like them."

The tension multiplied, and they continued in silence until they reached an opening high up a wall, looking down. Children were everywhere, a workforce, just as Hartigan had said.

"Upon my soul..." Jackson gasped.

"What is it?" Rosita whispered, looking around at the constant movement. Jenny eyed a swinging spiked ball warily.

"It's an engine," the Doctor replied darkly. "They're generating electricity, but what for?"

"We can set them free," Jackson said, lifting up another infostamp, but Jenny shook her head.

"That'd draw attention over here. We can't do that, not now." The Doctor got to his feet and moved over to a terminal in a different room.

"Power at ninety percent," he said, looking at the screen. "But if we stop the engine, the power dies down, the Cybermen'll come running." Jenny frowned as the screen went to static. "Ooo. Hold on. Power fluctuation. That's not meant to happen."

"It's going wrong," Jackson said hopefully, but the Doctor shook his head.

"No, it's weird. The software's rewriting itself. It's changing." They all jumped back as the console sparked and crackled with energy, almost exploding. "Woah! What? It's out of control."

"It's accelerating," Jackson said, peering at the now-cracked screen. "Ninety six percent. Ninety seven."

"When it reaches a hundred, what about the children?" Rosita questioned, thinking of the room they had just passed.

"They're disposable," he replied grimly. "Come on!"

An alarm began to blare as they ran back towards the engine room, going a different direction, down the stairs and around a few corners so they could actually get in to help.

"Delete. Delete. Delete."

The Doctor ran in as Jackson began firing infostamps at the Cybermen, and Rosita began quickly telling the children what to do. Jenny pulled the cutlass out of her pocket and held it tightly in her hand.

"Right," she said, looking around. "All of you, out! Do you hear me? That's an order! Every single one of you, run!"

"All of you, come on, fast as you can," Jackson added. "Come on!"

"There's a hot pie for everyone, if you leg it!"

"Go!" Jenny echoed, helping a young girl, who couldn't have been more than four or five, up from the ditch where she was shoveling coal. Children began running out the door as quickly as they could, masses of them.

"Rosita, get them out of the sluice gate," the Doctor said. "Once you're out, keep running. Jenny, give me the cutlass and go with Rosita." Jenny frowned, and the Doctor quickly continued. "Fine, keep the sword, but you need to help Rosita."

Rosita was almost out the door, ushering the last of the children out.

"Dad," Jenny murmured, stepping in close. "There's another suitcase, a smaller one. Caroline wasn't the only person in that basement. There was somebody else." Before the Doctor could respond, she took off after Rosita.

"Come on! Come on, keep running!"

"Go!" the Doctor urged, helping more of the children out. "Quick, quick." He looked around, and sighed as he realized that everyone had escaped. "It's some sort of starter motor, but starting what?"

Jackson stared at the children running passed before his eyes widened and he looked up towards the ceiling.

"That's my son," he whispered, although the Doctor didn't hear. "My son. Doctor, my son!"

The Doctor spun around and ran back to him, remembering what Jenny had said mere moments before.

"They took my son. No wonder my mind escaped. Those damned Cybermen, they took my child! But he's alive, Doctor. Frederick!" Standing high above them on a platform, a little boy watched them, his sooty face marred with tear tracks.

"Come on!" the Doctor called. Jackson shook his head.

"No, he's too scared. Stay there!" he called up. "Don't move! I'm coming." He ran forwards, but an explosion knocked him back. The Doctor tried to help him to his feet, but he pulled away and stood up on his own. "I can't get up there. Fred!"

"They've finished the motor," the Doctor said, looking Jackson in the eye. "It's going to blow up."

"What are we going to do, Doctor?" Jackson asked desperately. "What are we going to do?" The Doctor pulled out the sonic and gave a smile.

"Come on, Jackson. You know me." He grabbed hold of a rope, flashed the sonic at it, and then he was flying up through the air, landing deftly on the platform by Frederick. "Oh, that's it," he said with a kind smile. "Hello. Hold on tight, don't let go."

He lifted Frederick up onto his back, the little boy clinging tightly to his neck, and they swung back down to the ground. The Doctor grinned as Jackson took his son.

"Merry Christmas."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Go to St. Stephen's," Rosita was telling the children. "Ask for the Warden, he'll take care of you. Now run! Quickly!"

"Come on, the children are safe," Jenny said. "We should head back."

The duo began pushing their way backwards against the flow of panicking bystanders.

"It's under the water!" a man shouted as he ran past. "There's something in the Thames!" Rosita and Jenny glanced at each other before turning around and running down a couple more streets before they could see the water. The sword clattered on the stones as it fell from Jenny's hand, and Rosita took a couple of steps backwards.

"That's... bad," Jenny said.

"_Behold, I am risen._"The giant Cyberman's voice echoed across the city, and Jenny tensed. That sounded like the Hartigan woman that they had met ever so briefly. So did that make it a Cyberqueen? "_Witness me, mankind, as Cyberking of all_."

Okay. Cyberking, then.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Back in the cellar, the Doctor was once again examining the Dimension Vault as Jackson came out of the tunnel with his son.

"Head for the street," the Doctor said to the two. Jackson remained where he was.

"Come on, Doctor," he urged. "Hurry up!"

The Doctor waited a moment longer before pulling a long, thin piece from the device.

"Gotcha!" he said with a grin, before they turned and rushed out of the house. His smile quickly faded as he saw the metal monstrosity appearing above them.

"It's a Cyberking," he whispered in awe.

"And a Cyberking is what?" Jackson asked, staring upwards.

"It's a ship," he replied, his voice darkening. "Dreadnaught class. Front line of an invasion. And inside the chest, a Cyberfactory, ready to convert millions."

"_And I will walk. I will stride across this tiny little world._"

The Doctor ignored the monologue and turned back to Jackson.

"Just head south," he urged them. "Take him south. Go to the parkland."

"But where are you going?!" the other man asked incredulously.

"To stop that thing," he replied calmly.

"But I should be with you," Jackson protested.

"Jackson, you've got your son," the Doctor said quietly. "You've got a reason to live."

"And you don't?" Jackson asked softly. The Doctor just looked at him.

"Make sure Jenny doesn't follow me," he said simply before turning and pushing through the crowds.

"God save you, Doctor," Jackson whispered before he, too, turned and pushed through the crowds, moving in the opposite directions.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"_People of the world, hear me. Your governments will surrender. And if not, then behold my power._"

Jenny flinched as the Cyberking began firing huge blasts of energy from its hands. Screams rose up from more sections of the city. Debris flew everywhere, and fires exploded from the ground.

"Oh, sir!" Rosita exclaimed. "I thought I'd lost you." Jenny turned to see Jackson running towards them with a young boy in his arms.

"My son, Rosita," he said proudly. "This boy is my son!" Jenny smiled at the young child, and he gave a timid smile back.

"Where's the Doctor?" she asked, realizing that her father was absent from the group, but a nearby explosion had them ducking into a doorway for cover.

Jackson didn't answer as they stepped back outside, but instead stared in awe.

"It's the TARDIS," he said, grinning at the hot air balloon which was rising up behind the Cyberking. "She's flying." Jenny slowly closed her eyes.

_He didn't..._

"Who the hell is that?" a man exclaimed, staring at the balloon.

"His name, sir, is the Doctor," Jackson said proudly.

In baited silence everyone stood, watching as the balloon floated ever higher. When it was level with the Cyberking's head, the machine rotated it's torso so that it was facing the Doctor. Squinting, Jenny could just barely make out tiny figures in the Cyberking's mouth.

What could have only been a couple minutes, yet seemed like hours to Jenny, passed entirely in silence, but then a beam of light shot out from the balloon and into the Cyberking. Not a minute after that, it began to collapse. It's joints were no longer able to support its limbs as it convulsed where it stood, explosions erupting through the metal.

"He's killed it!" Jackson shouted. "Whatever he did, he's killed it!"

"But it's going to fall!" Rosita said in horror. The crowd began to panic as everyone started running in the opposite direction. Jenny stared in horror as the machine began to tilt backwards, but another light came from the balloon. It was soft, almost iridescent, and if she squinted she could just barely make out the swirling Time Vortex. The panic slowly died down again, and Jackson laughed, handing Frederick to Rosita.

"Well, I'd say he used that Dimension Vault to transfer the wreckage of the Cyberking into the Time Vortex, there to be harmlessly disintegrated," he said calmly to Rosita and Jenny before giving a slight chuckle. "Oh, I've picked up a lot." Jenny nodded, watching the balloon drift across the sky. "Ah, but here."

He climbed up onto the pedestal of a light post, holding onto it for support as he stood a few feet above the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he cried. "I know that man, that Doctor on high! And I know that he has done this deed a thousand times, but not once, no sir, _not once_, not _ever_, has he been thanked. But no more! For I say to you, on this Christmas morn, bravo sir! Bravo! Bravo, sir!"

The crowd slowly erupted into cheers and applause, deafeningly loud and Jenny was positive that her father could hear it up in the sky.

"That's my dad!" she called. "That amazing man!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jackson, the Doctor, and Jenny walked through the marketplace of London town. Rosita was sitting with Frederick not far from them.

"The city will recover, as London always does," Jackson said as they walked. "Though the events of today will be history, spoken of for centuries to come."

"Yeah," the Doctor said softly. "Funny that."

"And a new history begins for me," he continued. "I find myself a widower, but with my son and with a good friend."

"Take care of that one," the Doctor agreed. "She's marvelous."

"Frederick will need a nursemaid and I can think of none better," Jackson nodded. "But you're welcome to join us. We thought we might dine together at the Traveler's Halt. A Christmas feast in celebration, and in memory of those we have lost. You won't stay?" The Doctor shrugged.

"Like I said, you know me."

"No, I don't think anyone does."

The conversation lulled, but then Jackson saw the TARDIS parked underneath the archway, right where they had left it.

"Oh!" he said, nearly running up to it. "And this is it! Oh! Oh, if I might, Doctor? One last adventure?"

"Be my guest," the Doctor said, unlocking the door. Jackson slowly stepped inside, and the expression on his face was comical.

"Oh," he breathed. "Oh my word. Oh. Oh, goodness me. Well." He slowly began to walk around the console, trying to take everything in. "But this is- but this is nonsense."

"Well, that's one word for it," the Doctor conceded.

"Complete and utter, wonderful nonsense. How very, very silly. Oh, no. I can't bear it. Oh, it's causing my head to ache. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no."

He quickly rushed back out of the TARDIS, a dazed, yet happy expression on his face. Jenny followed, smiling.

"Oh! Oh, gracious. That's quite enough." Jackson slowly shook his head, and the dazed expression cleared. He looked at the two seriously. "I take it this is goodbye."

"Onwards and upwards," the Doctor nodded.

"Tell me one more thing," Jackson said. "All those facts and figures I saw of the Doctor's life, you were never alone. All those bright and shining companions. But is it just the two of you now? The Doctor and his daughter?"

The Cybermen had no information on Jenny, the Daleks from the Void not having known about her. It had taken a bit of explaining, but Jackson had been rather understanding, or at least as much as he could be. Explaining progenation to a man from the 1800s had the potential to become difficult, but when said man has had the Doctor projected into his mind, it makes it somewhat simpler.

"Just us."

"But why no one else."

Jenny leaned against the side of the archway at the same time the Doctor leaned back against the TARDIS.

"They leave," he said sadly. "Because they should. Or they find someone else. And some of them- some of them forget me." Jenny bowed her head in silence. "I suppose, in the end, they break my hearts."

Jackson looked between the saddened Time Lords before getting a resolved look on his features.

"That offer of Christmas dinner, it's no longer a request, it's a demand. In memory of those we've lost." The Doctor looked at him for a few moments.

"Oh, go on then," he finally said.

"Really?" Jackson asked, somewhat surprised.

"Just this once. You've actually gone and changed my mind. Not many people can do that." Jenny gave a short laugh, and the Doctor looked at her in surprise.

_She's already doing better. The magic of Christmastime._

"That's certainly true," she retorted. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Jackson," he said, clapping a hand on the other man's shoulder, "if anyone had to be the Doctor, I'm glad it was you."

"You'll be a great dad," Jenny added. Jackson smiled at the two.

"The feast awaits. Come with me. Walk this way."

"I certainly will," the Doctor said, looking up at the stars. "Merry Christmas to you, Jackson."

"Merry Christmas indeed, Doctor, Jenny. A merry Christmas indeed."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**I'm so happy people are enjoying this story so much. You have no idea how happy it makes me to see an email saying somebody's reviewed or added this to their Alert or Favorites list. I'm aware that this chapter doesn't have much of Jenny in it, but she's not up for much so soon after Donna leaving. **

**In response to an anonymous review: I wouldn't quite go _that_ far as to call me a genius... I mean, the writers of DW, they're the geniuses. I'm just playing with their toys. But thank you. :) Yes, I will be writing _The Waters of Mars_, and I'll also be writing with Eleven. I realized about three chapters into this that I'd committed myself to rewriting all of the revived _Doctor Who_ from _The Doctor's Daughter_ up until whenever it ends (hopefully many, many years from now) or when they bring Jenny back into the show (because they really need to), in which case I will need to find myself a loophole to get past it. _Waters of Mars_ will definitely be interesting, I have a few ideas planned out for that already. And some stuff for Series Five, and even more for Series Six. You people might hate me when I get to Series Six.**

**I'd also like to say that I probably won't be posting on Thursdays anymore. Update days are now being shifted to Friday, which will leave me more time to write the chapters. Then again, if I'm a couple days late... I'm giving you all twenty page chapters, and that's at a minimum. That's gotta count for something, right?**

**Next chapter: Some people might leave the deserted planet changed for the worse, if they can even leave at all. The Doctor gets protective. And the prophecy gets darker.**

**Anyway, I've said enough. Now more spoilers for now. :) See you all again next Friday. Allons-y, everyone!**


	9. Planet of the Dead

Jenny walked alongside her father down the crowded streets of London. He was holding a large chocolate Easter egg in his hand, wrapped in gold foil, eating bits of it as the two carried on a discussion.

"So it's possibly for Time Lords to communicate telepathically?" she asked. The Doctor nodded, swallowing a piece of chocolate before responding, speaking rapidly in a different language. Jenny's brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to decipher the flowing consonants and lilting vowels, the words almost musical in their beauty. "Dad, I can't understand you when you talk that fast!"

"Go through it slowly," he responded in English. She frowned again before looking up at him.

"There was a 'yes' and something about a telepathic field, but I'm still lost. Do you really need to switch languages like that all the time?" He shrugged.

"You wanted to learn Gallifreyan. The best way to learn a language is to use it frequently, so that's what we're doing."

"But you talk too quickly!"

"For the language, that's slower than a Munaden chitka worm. Chocolate?"

Never one to turn down anything sweet (or anything related to bananas), she accepted a piece.

_"Couldn't you speak slower?"_ she asked, hoping she got the phrase right. The Doctor laughed.

_"You're getting the hang of it!"_ She bounced on her heels in excitement.

"Fantastic!" she exclaimed. "But really, back to my original question...?" He nodded.

"To an extent, yes, Time Lords could communicate mentally with one another. Most of the time it wasn't anything as complex as conversations, more like... general feelings. A sense of urgency, excitement, fear, danger. Some, more telepathically advanced, they could carry out conversations if needed, although it worked better with one of equal mental capacity. Bonds were always stronger between pairs, though. Husband and wife, brother and sister." He gave her a pointed look. "Parent and child."

"So there's a chance we could have a psychic link?"

"All Time Lords have psychic links. Think of it as a web, Jenny. If you saw another Time Lord or Lady, you would _know_. And once your mind is advanced enough, you can reach out, try to find another mind to connect with. But between the two of _us_, it'd be stronger."

"So that's a yes."

"Yeah."

"Can you feel my mind, right now?" He looked over at her.

"Yes, but it's undeveloped. I mean, you're brilliant, how could you not be? But you're still too young, now. Even as my daughter, you'd still need longer to develop your mind before we could even consider forming a bond like that." She nodded, taking another piece of chocolate.

"That makes sense."

The Doctor stopped at an intersection, then frowned as he pulled a device out of his pocket.

"Well, _that_ doesn't. There's an anomaly detected nearby... Rhodium particles...? ...and we don't have the TARDIS to analyze it."

"You parked it in the gardens of Buckingham Palace," she said, raising an eyebrow. "And then you insisted, because it's Easter, that we go and find an Easter egg to eat, which caused us to walk almost halfway across London."

"Ah, it hasn't been that far," he said dismissively, tucking the device back into his pocket. "Come on, there's a bus. Might take us back closer to the TARDIS, or it might take us towards the anomaly. Either way, it's an adventure. Allons-y!"

He jogged across the street, heading for the bus. Jenny followed quickly behind, rolling her eyes. They made it into the bus just as the doors closed.

"Made it just in time," the driver commented as they made their way towards the seats. The Doctor plopped down next to a young woman dressed in black, while Jenny took the seat opposite across the aisle.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said with a grin, holding out the egg, offering some chocolate. Jenny leaned across and took a piece again. "Happy Easter."

The woman blinked.

"Funny thing is, I don't often do Easter." The Doctor continued to ramble on. Jenny took the Easter egg out of his hands for herself while he talked, oblivious. "I can never find it. It's always at a different time. Although I remember the original." He leaned in a bit closer to the woman and lowered his voice. "Between you and me, what really happened was-"

The Doctor stopped as a beeping noise came from his pocket.

"Oh. Sorry," he mumbled, rummaging around before pulling out the device from earlier. "Ah. Oh, we've got excitation. I'm picking up something very strange."

"I know the feeling," the woman responded dryly.

"Rhondium particles, isn't it?" Jenny asked. The Doctor nodded.

"Yeah, Rhondium particles. That's what I'm looking for. This thing detects them." He pointed at a small dish on the top. "Look, this should go round, that little dish there."

"Right now, a way out would come in handy," the woman said. "Can you detect me one of those?"

Jenny shifted into a more comfortable position in the rather uncomfortable seat, eating more of the Easter egg. The Doctor glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he poked at the device.

It had been two weeks since he and Jenny had celebrated their first Christmas together. They had eaten dinner with Jackson Lake, his son Frederick, and Rosita back in Victorian London before retiring to the TARDIS. Jenny had tossed her coat over one of the Y-beams before heading to her room for some sleep.

The Doctor had then taken that time to park the TARDIS and run out to buy some presents – books and futuristic alien things and whatnot. The next day (_day _being a relative term on the TARDIS), when she had woken up, they sat down in the TARDIS library in front of the fireplace with hot cocoa and simply talked for a while. No alien invasion, no running, no near-death experiences. Just a quiet Christmas between father and daughter.

Since then, it had been fairly quiet. Jenny was doing much better than she had been, smiling and talking more. She seemed to be getting over Donna's departure. A few mishaps here and there, but nothing major or Earth-threatening. They had started up lessons again, the Doctor finally deciding to teach her about the Time Lords themselves. She was a Time Lady, and he was going to make sure that she did the part wonderfully.

"Ah, the little dish is going round," he said brightly as it started to work. Jenny looked over as the dish began to spin faster.

"Fascinating," the woman deadpanned.

"And round. Whoa."

The device crackled, sending sparks up into the air. A blonde woman sitting in front turned around to look at him.

"Excuse me," she said, slightly annoyed. "Do you mind?"

"Sorry," he said apologetically. "That was my little dish."

"Can't you turn that thing off?" the woman in black asked. The Doctor glanced down at the device again.

"What was your name?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"Christina," she replied.

"Christina, hold on tight. Jenny, don't drop the egg." Jenny rolled her eyes. "Everybody, hold on!"

The bus jolted, and everyone was tossed around.

"Oh, the voices," a woman a few seats back moaned. "The voices. They're screaming."

"What's going on?" a young man called from up front.

A bright light blinded them as the bus continued to shake.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny managed to pry herself back up onto the seats, frowning at the golden sunlight (it had been dark out, hadn't it?). Having found a position that she deemed to be comfortable in the seat, she had rather unbalanced herself in the process, and since she was holding the egg with both hands, she didn't have much of a chance to stabilize herself as the bus rattled like a maraca. She then found herself stuck between the seat she had been on and the seat in front of her, the Easter egg still on her lap.

The Doctor stood up, offering her a hand.

"Thanks," she muttered. "Could have used that help a bit sooner." He shrugged, going to head outside. Jenny and Christina followed him.

"End of the line," the Doctor said, looking out at the seemingly endless desert. "Call it a hunch, but I think we've gone a little further than Brixton."

"Never would have guessed," Jenny retorted.

Behind them, the other passengers from the bus began to come out.

"It's impossible," the blonde woman gasped, looking up at the sky. "There are three suns. Three of them."

"Like when all those planets were up in the sky," a dark-skinned man murmured.

"But it was Earth that moved back then, wasn't it?" another young man countered.

"Oh, man," said a third man. "We're on another world."

"It's still intact, though," the driver mused, looking at the bus. "Not as bad as it looks, and the chassis' still holding together." He paused. "My boss is going to murder me."

"Can you still drive it?" the blonde asked.

"Oh, no, no, no," he responded, motioning to the wheels. "The wheels are stuck. Look at them, they're never going to budge."

Christina rummaged around in her backpack before pulling out a pair of sunglasses and turning to the Doctor, who was kneeling on the ground. Jenny had left momentarily to put the Easter egg back into the bus so it wouldn't melt in her hands.

"Ready for every emergency," she said. The Doctor looked up at her before pulling out the sonic screwdriver and flashing his own glasses with it, tinting the lenses.

"Me too," he replied.

"And what's your name?" she asked as he ran his fingers through the dirt.

"The Doctor." Jenny came back out of the bus and knelt down next to him.

"Name, not rank."

"The Doctor, and that's Jenny."

"Surnames?" she asked, hoping for a straight answer.

"The Doctor and Jenny."

"You're called the Doctor and Jenny?" Her tone made it clear how much she believed that.

"Yes, we are," Jenny responded, tossing some sand up and watching it blow away.

"The Doctor isn't a name," Christina protested. "It's a psychological condition."

"Funny sort of sand, this," the Doctor muttered, ignoring her. "There's a trace of something else." He paused before tasting some of it. Jenny made a face of disgust. "Glah! Not good."

"Well, it wouldn't be. It's _sand_," Christina pointed out, stating the obvious.

"No, it tastes like- Never mind."

He stood up. Christina eyed him, slightly worried. Jenny scooped up some of the sand in her own hands and sniffed it.

"What is it?" Christina asked. "What's wrong?"

"Hold on a minute," said one of the young men. "I saw you, mate. You had that thing, that machine. Did you make this happen?"

"Oh, humans on buses, always blaming me," the Doctor said, giving a long, weary sigh. "Look, look, if you must know, Jenny and I were tracking a hole in the fabric of reality. Call it a hobby. But it was a tiny little hole," he added quickly, confused. "No danger to anyone. Suddenly it gets big, and we drive through it."

"But where is it?" the driver asked. "There's nothing." He waved his arms around. "There's just sand."

"All right," Jenny said, standing up, still holding the sand. "We drove through this."

She tossed the sand through the air, nodding in satisfaction as a large ripple appeared, bending the space in the air itself.

"And that's...?" Christina trailed off, looking at them.

"A door," the Doctor explained. "A door in space."

"So what you're saying is, on the other side of that is home?" the driver asked excitedly. "We can get to London through there?"

"The bus came through, but we can't-" the Doctor started, but the driver, hearing what he first said, cut him off.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" He ran towards the rippling space.

"No, no, don't," the Doctor called, warning.

"I'm going home, mate!" the driver responded, continuing to run.

"Don't!" Jenny called, but it was too late. The man ran through the portal and burst into flames, his skeleton visible for a moment before he disappeared.

"He was a skeleton, man," one of the other passengers said weakly. "He was bones. Just bones."

"It was the bus, wasn't it?" Jenny asked, looking at the bus. "Big box of metal, it was protecting us. A... Farraday cage, right?"

"Like in a thunderstorm, yeah?" another passenger spoke up. "Safest place inside a car, because the metal conducts the lightning right through. We did it in school."

"But if we can only travel back inside the bus...?" Christina looked at the ravaged vehicle. "A Farraday cage needs to be closed. That thing's been ripped wide open."

"Well, slightly different dynamics with a wormhole," the Doctor corrected. "There's enough metal to make it work, I think. I hope." Jenny shook her head.

"We'll be fine," she assured.

"But we have to drive five tons of bus, which is currently buried in the sand, and we've got nothing but our bare hands," Christina deadpanned. "Correct?"

"I'd say nine and a half tons," he replied, "but the point still stands, yes."

"Then we need to apply ourselves to the problem with discipline," Christina announced. "Which starts with appointing a leader."

"Yes," the Doctor agreed with a nod. "At last. Thank you. So-"

"Well, thank goodness you've got me!"

Jenny nearly fell over laughing at the expression on the Doctor's face. Instead, she had to settle for shaking in silent hysterics.

"Everyone do exactly as I say. Inside the bus immediately." She began heading towards the bus.

"Is it safe in there?" one passenger asked. Christina turned around and shrugged.

"I don't think anything's safe anymore, but if it's a choice between baking in there or roasting out here, I'd say baking is slower. Come on. All of you. Right now." She pointed to the Doctor and Jenny. "And you. The Doctor and Jenny."

"Yes ma'am," Jenny and the Doctor said in unison, Jenny with an added salute.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"...point five," Christina was saying. "The crucial thing is, do not panic. Quite apart from anything else, the smell of sweat inside this thing is reaching _atrocious_ levels. We don't need to add any more. Point six. Team identification. Names. I'm Christina." She turned to where the Doctor and Jenny were sitting next to each other in a seat. "These people are apparently Jenny and the Doctor."

"Hello," Jenny said with a wave.

"And you?"

"I'm Barclay," said a young man.

"Nathan," said another.

"Angela," the blonde woman said. "Angela Whittaker."

"My name's Louis," said an older black man. "Everyone calls me Lou." He motioned to his wife. "This is Carmen."

"Excellent," Christina said with a nod. "Memorize those names. There might be a test. Point Seven. Assessment and application of knowledge. Over to you, the Doctor, Jenny." She turned to the pair of them.

"I thought you were in charge," the Doctor said in surprise.

"I am," she responded. "And a good leader utilizes her strengths."

"Agreed," Jenny said with a nod.

"You seem to be the brainboxes," she continued. "So, start boxing." The Doctor stood up so he could see everyone better. Jenny ducked to avoid getting hit by his elbow before standing up herself.

"Right," he said. "So. The wormhole. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was just an accident."

"No it wasn't," Carmen said. "That thing, the doorway? Someone made it for a reason."

"How do you know that?" Jenny asked, curious.

"She's got a gift," Lou responded, putting an arm over his wife's shoulders. "Ever since she was a little girl, she can just tell things. We do the lottery twice a week."

"You don't look like millionares," Christina pointed out.

"No, but we win ten pounds," he countered. "Every week, twice a week, ten pounds. Don't tell me that's not a gift."

"Tell me, Carmen, how many fingers am I holding up?"

Jenny glanced at the Doctor's hand, which was behind his back. Three fingers.

"Three," she responded.

He changed it to four fingers.

"Four."

Jenny, being almost entirely hidden by the Doctor and the bus seats from Carmen, held up her own hand behind her back. Two fingers. Carmen slowly turned to her.

"Two." The Doctor blinked, then looked at Jenny.

"Very good," he said, and Jenny wasn't quite sure if he was complimenting Carmen or her. Probably Carmen. "Low level psychic ability, exacerbated by an alien sun. What can you see, Carmen? Tell me, what's out there?"

"Something..." Carmen said slowly. "Something is coming. Riding on the wind, and shining."

"What is it?" Jenny asked.

"Death," she said fearfully. "Death is coming."

"We're going to die," Angela moaned.

"I knew it, man," Barclay said. "I said so."

"We can't exactly die out there," Nathan groaned. "No one's coming to find us."

"This isn't exactly helping-" Christina started.

"You can shut up too," Barclay snapped. "We're not your soldiers."

"That's not doing any good," she said pointedly.

"Quiet," Lou said, shifting protectively towards Carmen.

"Will we be bones, like the bus driver?" Nathan asked, edging towards panic. Jenny's eyes narrowed as she thought of the last time humans panicked on a bus.

"Stop whimpering," Christina started, but Jenny gave a shrill whistle.

"All right, stop," she snapped, her tone betraying the barest hints of her nervousness. The Doctor squeezed her hand in assurance. "Just stop it. Angela. Angela, look up here. Angela. Angela." Angela slowly looked over, taking a few deep, shaky breaths to calm herself. "Angela, answer me this. Where were you going, when you got on the bus?"

"Doesn't matter know, does it?" she whimpered. Jenny sighed.

"Answer the question?"

"Just home," she said quietly, with a shrug.

"And what's home?" the Doctor asked, picking up on Jenny's tactic.

"Me and Mike," she said, slightly confused. "And Suzanne. That's my daughter," she added. "She's eighteen."

"Suzanne," the Doctor said with a nod and a grin. "Good. What about you?" He looked over at Barclay.

"Don't know," he replied, equally confused. "Going 'round Tina's."

"Who's Tina?" the Doctor asked, the questioning keeping everyone calmer. "Your girlfriend?"

Barclay gave a sheepish smile. "Not yet." The Doctor laughed.

"Good boy! What about you, Nathan?" Nathan blinked.

"Bit strapped for cash," he said, frowning slightly. "Lost my job last week. I was going to stay in and watch TV."

"Brilliant. And you two?" Lou glanced over at Carmen.

"I was going to cook," he replied.

"It's his turn tonight," Carmen elaborated. "Then I clear up."

"What's for tea?" Jenny picked up the questions.

"Chops," Lou said with a decisive nod. "Nice couple of chops and gravy. Nothing special."

"Oh, that's special," the Doctor grinned. "That is _so_ special. Chops and gravy, mmm. What about you, Christina?" Christina paused, almost hesitantly before she responded.

"I was going so far away."

"Far away," Jenny echoed. "Chops and gravy. Watching TV. Mike and Suzanne and poor old Tina."

"Hey!" Barclay said in protest, but the shared smiles made it clear that they were joking.

"Just think of them," Jenny said, looking around at the group. "Because that planet out there-" She waved a hand vaguely at the windows. "and all three suns, wormholes and alien sand, that planet is _nothing._ Nothing, you hear me, not compared to everything waiting for you back home. Food and home and people. Hold onto that, because we're going to get there. We're going to get home."

As they set to work, thinking of ways to get the bus out of the sand, the Doctor leaned over to whisper in Jenny's ear.

_"You are learning,"_ he said in lilting Gallifreyan. _"That was a speech worthy of me!"_

Jenny just laughed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Nathan and Barclay were dragging seats out of the bus.

"Here we go," Barclay grunted, dropping one on the ground.

"That's my boys," the Doctor said, clapping them each on the shoulder. "See, we lay a flat surface between the bus and the wormhole, like duckboards, and we reverse into it."

"Let some air out of the tires," Christina added. "Just a little bit. It spreads the weight of the bus, gives you more grip against the sand."

"Oh, that's good," the Doctor exclaimed.

"Holidays in the Kalahari," was her rather unclear explanation.

"But those wheels go deep," Barclay pointed out, glancing uncertainly at the tires.

"Then start digging," Christina replied, setting her backpack down.

"With what?" Barclay asked.

"With this." She tossed him a spade from her bag. He caught it, then shrugged, heading over to the bus.

"Got anything else in there?" Jenny asked, trying to peer into the gray bag.

"Try that," she responded, holding up an axe. "It might help with the seats."

"Thanks," Nathan said slowly, accepting the axe and going inside the bus.

"I can't find the keys!" Angela called from the driver's seat.

"Oh, no, buses don't have keys," the Doctor said. "There's a master switch, then it's one button to start, the other to stop, yeah?" Angela glanced at the wheel, then nodded.

"Right. Hold on. Oh, I've got it! Here we go. Ding, ding!"

She started the engine, and Jenny jumped as grating, screeching noises sounded, metal gnashing against metal in the engine.

"Ooo, that doesn't sound good," the Doctor frowned as Angela turned the engine off. Jenny went around the back of the bus with her father and Christina, and the Doctor sighed when he saw the smoking engine. "Never mind losing half the top deck. You know what's worse? Sand." He scooped a handful of sand off of the engine, letting it slip through his fingers. "Tiny little grains of sand. The engine's clogged up."

"Anyone know mechanics?" Christina called as they walked back around the other side of the bus.

"Me," Barclay said, raising his hands. "I did a two week NVQ at the garage. Never finished it, but-"

"Off you go, then," the Doctor said, interrupting the younger man.

"Try stripping the air filter," Jenny added. "Fast as you can. Back in two ticks." She turned to her father, and the two began heading off towards the sand dunes.

"Wait a minute!" Christina called, grabbing her backpack and running after them. "You're the man and the woman with all the answers. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"Easier if you left the backpack behind," the Doctor commented as they walked. Jenny tugged uncomfortably at her shirt. How did her father stand it, wearing that suit of his?

"Where I go, it goes," she said firmly.

"A backpack with a spade and an axe," he said quietly. "Christina, who's going so far away, and yet scared by the sound of a siren. Who are you?"

"You can talk," she scoffed. "Let's just say we're two equal mysteries."

"We make quite a couple," the Doctor joked.

"We don't make any sort of couple, thank you very much," she countered. "Come on, then. Tell me. If Carmen's right, if that wormhole's not an accident, then what is it? Has someone done this on purpose?"

"Don't know," Jenny said with a shrug. "But every single instinct I have, which is a lot, mind you, is telling me to get off of this planet as fast as I can."

"And do you think we can?"

"We live in hope," he said with a shrug.

"That must be nice," Christina sighed, but then she snapped back to her normal self. "It's Christina de Souza. Lady Christina de Souza."

"Ooo, that's handy, 'cause I'm a Lord and Jen here is soon to be a Lady."

"Seriously?" she asked disbelievingly. "The Lord and Lady of where?"

"It's quite a big estate," Jenny commented, evading the question.

"No, but there's something more about you two," Christina said, stopping. "That device you were carrying, and the wormhole... Like you knew. And the way you stride around this place, like..."

"Like?" the Doctor echoed.

"Like you're not quite-"

"Anyway," Jenny said, taking advantage of her hesitant silence. "Come on."

"Allons-y!" the Doctor said with a grin.

"Oui, mais pas si ous allons vers un cauchemar." _Yes, but not if we're walking into a nightmare._The Doctor laughed.

"Oh, we were made for each other." They climbed over the crest of another dune and paused, squinting at the horizon.

"Ah, don't like the look of that," Jenny said after a moment. The horizon was hazy and almost glittering.

"Storm clouds. Must be hundreds of miles away." It was as though she was trying to reassure herself.

"But getting closer," the Doctor said grimly.

"If that's a sand storm, we'll get ripped to shreds."

"It's a storm," Jenny muttered. "Who says it's sand?"

They started running back to the bus.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Closer, and closer, and closer," Carmen moaned as the Doctor, Jenny, and Christina piled onto the bus.

"Where is it?" the Doctor called as Jenny slipped into a seat, safely out of the way as the Doctor barreled in behind her. Barclay tossed the Doctor his mobile phone.

"You're hardly going to get a signal," Christina pointed out. "We're on another _planet_." The Doctor smirked and sonicked the phone.

"Oh, just watch me. Right. Now, bit of hush, thank you. Got to remember the number, very important number." He quickly dialed in a number and put the phone on speaker.

_"Hello, Pizza Geronimo."_ The Doctor groaned while Jenny snorted.

"And again," he muttered. "Seven six, not six seven." He redialed the number.

_"This is the Unified Intelligence Taskforce,"_ said a calm, computerized female voice. _"Please select one of the following four options. If you want to..."_

"Oh, I hate these things," he sighed.

"If you keep your finger pressed on zero, you get through to a real person," Angela spoke up. "I saw it on Watchdog."

"Thank you, Angela," the Doctor grinned.

_"UNIT helpline," _said a normal female voice. _"Which department would you like?"_

"Listen, it's the Doctor," her father said, started to pace. "It's me."

A pause.

_"One moment, sir,"_ she said after a moment, almost sounding flustered. _"Redirecting your call."_ The Doctor nodded.

"Much better," he said with a nod. There was a click, and he turned his attention back to the phone.

_"Doctor?"_ a woman asked. _"This is Captain Erisa Magambo. Might I say, sir, it's an honor."_ The Doctor frowned while Jenny giggled as they heard the rustling of fabric on the other end of the line.

"Did you just salute?" he asked incredulously.

_"...No."_

"Oh, go ahead and salute all you like," Jenny said, leaning over the seat. "Mark of a good soldier, that."

"Erisa, it's about the bus," the Doctor cut in. "HQ said you're at the tunnel, yeah?"

_"And where are you?"_

"I'm on the bus. But apart from that, not a clue, except it's very pretty and pretty dangerous."

_"A body came through here. Have you sustained any more fatalities?"_

"No, and we're not going to," Jenny said firmly. "We don't have the TARDIS, though, and the Doctor needs to analyze the wormhole."

_"Would this be Miss Jenny?"_

"Yeah, that's me."

_"Doctor Jones told us about you. It's an honor to speak to you as well, ma'am."_ Jenny grinned. _"We have a scientific advisor on site. Doctor Malcolm Taylor. Just the man you need. He's a genius."_

"Oh, is he?" the Doctor said. "We'll see about that." There was another pause before she spoke again.

_"It's the Doctor."_

_"No, I'm all right now, thanks. It was just a bit of a sore throat. Although I've got to be honest, a cup of tea might be nice."_ Jenny laughed as she heard the man.

_"It's the Doctor,"_ she repeated, with emphasis on _the_.

_"Do you mean... the Doctor Doctor?"_

_"I know," _Magambo said. _"We all want to meet him one day, but we all know what that day will bring."_

Jenny frowned, while the Doctor gave the phone a look.

"I can hear everything you're saying," he pointed out.

_"Hello, Doctor?"_ the man said. _"Oh my goodness!"_

"Yes, I am. Hello, Malcolm."

_"The Doctor. Cor blimey. I can't believe I'm actually speaking to you! I mean, I've read all the files."_

"Really?" he asked, surprised and pleased. "What was your favorite, the giant robot?" He frowned, quickly shaking his head and switching the subject. "No, no, hold on. Let's sort out that wormhole. Excuse me." He lowered the phone and looked around. "Malcolm, something's not making sense here. I've got a storm and a wormhole, and I can't help thinking there's a connection."

"A complete full range analysis of the wormhole, the entire thing, that would be very helpful," Jenny added.

_"Oh my goodness, is that her? Jenny? Oh my goodness!"_

_"Concentrate," _Magambo said firmly.

_"Right. Sorry. I've probably got the wrong idea, but I've wired up an integrator. I thought it could measure the energy signature."_

"No, no, no, no, no, no," the Doctor sighed. "That'll never work. Listen-"

_"It's quite extraordinary, though," _Malcolm interrupted. _"I'm measuring an oscillation of fifteen Malcolms per second."_

"Fifteen what?" the Doctor asked, bewildered.

_"Fifteen Malcolms," _Malcolm replied. _"It's my own little term. A wavelength parcel of ten kilohertz operating in four dimensions equals one Malcolm."_

"...You named a unit of measurement after yourself?" he asked slowly.

_"Well, it didn't do Mister Watt any harm," _Malcolm countered. _"Furthermore, one hundred Malcolms equals a Bernard."_

"And who's that, your dad?"

_"Don't be ridiculous," _Malcolm scoffed. _"That's Quartermass."_

"Right," the Doctor said slowly. "Fine. But, before I die of old age, which in my case would be quite an achievement, so congratulations on that, is there anyone else I can talk to?"

"Don't be rude!" Jenny admonished, plucking the phone from his hands. "Now, Malcolm. An ordinary integrator wouldn't be able to measure a wormhole-"

_"-unless it was set to register what it couldn't detect and the following image was inverted," _Malcolm finished. _"Is that right?"_ Jenny grinned.

"No, that's brilliant!" the Doctor exclaimed, snatching the phone back. "So you can actually measure the wormhole! Okay. I admit, that is genius."

"So hard to accept that there's someone to rival your intelligence?" Jenny joked.

_"The Doctor called me a genius!" _Malcolm exclaimed.

_"I know, I heard,"_ Magambo sighed.

"Now, run a capacity scan," the Doctor ordered Malcolm. "Call me back when you've done it. And Malcolm? You're my new best friend."

"Mine too!" Jenny added.

_"And you're mine too, sir, ma'am!"_

A dial tone signified the call ending.

"Barclay, I'm holding on to this!" the Doctor called.

"You'd better bring it back!" Barclay called in response. The trio climbed back off the bus, walking past Nathan, who was patiently digging out the wheels, even after all this time. They hiked a distance away, up over the top of another dune, where the Doctor started taking pictures.

"Send this back to Earth," the Doctor said to Jenny, tossing her the phone. "See if Malcolm can analyze the storm."

"There's something in the clouds," Christina frowned, squinting at the horizon. "Something shining. Look." Jenny sent the pictures, then glanced up.

"Like metal," she murmured. "Why would there be metal in a storm?"

The Doctor frowned, then knelt down, again scooping up sand and sniffing it.

"Did you hear something?" Christina asked, looking around.

"Hold on," he muttered. "Busy."

"There was a noise, like a sort of-" She turned and froze. Jenny sighed.

"Dad, look."

Christina stared, but Jenny's serious tone prompted the Doctor to stand and look around. An alien was standing, sillhouetted against the bright sky, looking directly at them.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The alien, as Jenny could now see on closer inspection, was bipedal, had a blue-green-gray insectoid head, and was clad in a gray uniform of some sort. It pointed a weapon at them and chittered rapidly. The Doctor clicked and chittered a response.

"That's wait," he said for Christina and Jenny's benifit. She knew bits of Gallifreyan, but that was the only other language she knew, and Christina was human.

"You speak the language?" Christina asked, glancing over at him.

"Every language," he agreed with a nod before chittering again. "That's begging for mercy."

The fly-alien gestured with his weapon.

"That means move," Christina said, starting to walk.

"You're learning," Jenny replied. They started walking across the dunes, coming up to the crest of another hill.

"These fly things, they must be responsible," Christina muttered. "They brought us here."

Jenny pointed at a wrecked ship, now visible that they had come over the sand dune.

"Look," she said. "It's a wreck. They crashed, just like us."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Is it meant to be this cold?" Jenny asked as they walked through the ship.

"Think, Jen," the Doctor said. "The hull's made of photafine steel, so..." She looked at him blankly. "Turns hot when it's cold, turns cold when it's hot," he elaborated, and she nodded. "Boiling desert outside, freezing ship inside. Since I met you, Christina, we've been through all the extremes."

"That's how I like things," she replied with a smirk. "Exciting."

"Oh, this is beautiful!" the Doctor said, spinning around. "Intact, it must have been magnificent! A proper streamlined deep spacer."

"I'll remember that as I'm being slowly tortured," Christina grumbled. Jenny waved a hand.

"Ah, they haven't ever cuffed us. I could have gotten us out of here back in the desert, but I think we should check this out first. Even now that we're here, not too hard." The Doctor shook his head.

"No violence." Jenny sighed.

"Okay."

The fly which had brought them here returned with another fly, and the two chittered at the group before one pressed a round purple device hooked to his clothes.

"Oh, right, good," the Doctor said with a nod. "Yes. Hello." Christina sent the two questioning glances. "That's a telepathic translator. He can understand us, now."

"Still sounds like gibberish to me," Christina responded.

"That's what I said," the Doctor replied. "He can understand us. It doesn't work the other way around." The alien started to chitter again, and the Doctor translated for Jenny and Christina. "You will suffer for your crimes, etcetera. You have committed an act of violence against the Tritovore race." He nodded in recognition. "Tritovores, they're called Tritovores."

The alien started chittering again, so the Doctor resumed translating.

"You came here in the two hundred to destroy us." He paused. "Sorry, what's the two hundred?"

"The bus," Christina explained for him. "The number two hundred. They mean the bus."

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "No, look. I think you're making the same mistake Christina did. I'm the Doctor, by the way, this is Jenny, and this is Christina. The honorable Lady Christina. At least I hope she's honorable. We got pulled through the wormhole. The two hundred doesn't look like that normally. It's broken, just the same as you."

The Tritovores chittered before lowering the weapon.

"What are they doing?" Christina asked.

"They believe me."

"Simple as that?"

"I've got a very honest face," the Doctor responded. "And the translator said I'm telling the truth. Plus the face. Right. So, first things first. There's a very strange storm heading our way. Can you send out a probe?" A Tritovore chittered. "Oh, they've lost power. Hmm. The crash knocked the mainline crystallography out of synch. But if I can jiggle it back..."

Jenny raised an eyebrow as the Doctor sent a well-aimed kick at some of the circuitry, then shrugged as it sprang to life. The Tritovore chittered again.

"Thank you," the Doctor grinned. "Yes I am. Frequently." He began tapping away at the terminal. "Okey-dokey, let's launch that probe."

On the screen, an image zoomed into the planet they were on; sprawling cities full of magnificent gardens and sloping architecture.

"The Scorpion Nebula," he explained. "We're on the other side of the universe. The planet of San Helios."

"Just what you wanted," Jenny murmured to Christina. "So far away."

"We're on another world," the woman breathed.

"It's good, isn't it?" the Doctor asked. She grinned.

"Wonderful."

"The Tritovores were going to trade with San Helios," he continued to explain. "Population of one hundred billion. Plenty of waste matter for them to absorb." Jenny made a slight grimace.

"By waste matter, you mean-" Christina started.

"They feed off what others leave behind... from their behind, if you see what I mean. It's perfectly natural. They _are _flies."

"Charming," she mumbled. "Just remind me never to kiss them." The image on screen zoomed in closer to one of the cities.

"San Helios City?" Jenny questioned, and the Doctor grinned.

"That's amazing," Christina agreed. "But you've seen this sort of thing before, haven't you?"

"Thousands of times," the Doctor responded with a nod. She paused.

"That Lordship of yours... and that Ladyship of yours... The Lord and Lady of where, exactly?"

"Time Lords," he said. "I come from a race of people called Time Lords. Jenny's my daughter." Christina looked between the two of them before choosing to avoid that particular subject entirely and go for a less complicated question.

"You're an alien?"

"Yeah. But you don't need to kiss me, either."

"You look human," she pointed out.

"You look Time Lord," Jenny countered. "They came first."

"So if that's San Helios, all we need to do is find that city," Christina said, moving back to the original topic. "They can help us."

"I don't think it's that simple," the Doctor sighed. "We're in the city now."

Jenny and Christina stared.

"But- it's _sand_," Christina said faintly. "That first image, the temples and things, what's that then, ancient history?" The alien chittered, and the Doctor's frown grew more pronounced.

"The image was taken last year."

"It became a desert in a year?" Jenny asked incredulously.

"I said there was something in the sand," he shrugged. "The city, the oceans, the mountains, the wildlife, and a hundred billion people turned to sand. All those voices in Carmen's head. She's hearing them die." Christina blinked slowly.

"But I've got sand in my hair." She tugged on a lock of her dark hair and ran her fingers through it, grains of sand falling to the floor. "That's dead people. Oh, that's disgusting."

Jenny looked around at the sand which seemed to be everywhere and sighed.

"Something destroyed the whole of San Helios," the Doctor said darkly.

The phone rang, so the Doctor quickly picked it up and answered.

"Malcolm, tell me the bad news."

_"Oh, you are clever sir," _Malcolm exclaimed. _"It is bad news! We've gone way past one hundred Bernards. I haven't even invented a name for that yet!"_

"How can it get bigger by itself?" Jenny asked, moving so she was closer to the phone.

_"That's why I'm phoning, sir, ma'am. One of you will work it out, I just know it."_

_"Doctor, we estimate the circumference of your invisible wormhole is now four miles heading upwards,"_ Magambo cut in._ "I've grounded all flights above London. We can't risk anyone else falling through."_

"Good work, both of you," the Doctor said with a nod.

_"But I have to know," _Magambo continued. _"Does that wormhole constitute a danger to this planet?"_

The phone beeped.

"Sorry, call waiting," the Doctor said quickly. Got to go. Yeah?"

_"Doctor, it's Nathan,"_ Nathan said. _"We got those duckboard things down, but-"_

_"It's my fault," _Angela moaned in the background.

_"No it's not," _Nathan said. _"Don't say that."_

"Why what's happened?" the Doctor asked urgently. If there had been another casualty...

_"We kept on turning the engine, but... We're all out of petrol. Used it all up. Even if we can get those wheels out, this bus is never going to move."_

The Doctor sighed, lowering the phone.

"What is it?" Christina asked. "What's wrong? Doctor, Jenny, tell me."

_"You promised you'd get us home. Doctor? Are you still there?"_ The Doctor shut the mobile and put it back in his pocket.

"Doctor, tell me," Christina repeated. "What did he say?"

The Doctor didn't answer, turning to stare back at the screen.

"It's the probe," he said instead. "It's reached the storm."

The Tritovore chittered.

"And what's he saying?" Christina asked.

"It's not a storm."

Jenny stared in confusion at the millions of alien stingrays flying through the air as the Doctor put his glasses on.

"It's a swarm," Christina exclaimed. "Millions of them."

"Billions," the Doctor murmured. They all jumped back as a gaping mouth appeared on the screen before it went to static. "Oh, we've lost the probe."

"It got eaten," Jenny muttered. "Everything on this planet gets eaten."

"How far away is that swarm?" Christina asked nervously.

"A hundred miles," the Doctor responded. "But at that speed, it'll be here in twenty minutes." He paused. "No, no, no, they're not just coming for us. They want the wormhole."

"They want the Earth?" Jenny questioned.

"Show the analysis," the Doctor ordered. A Tritovore chittered, tapping some controls, and then more things came up on the screen. "Oh, incredible! They swarm out of a wormhole, strip the planet bare, then move on to the next world. Start the life cycle all over again."

"But they're stingrays, they couldn't have possibly made the wormhole," Jenny pointed out. "They aren't exactly engineers. And even if they do want the wormhole, the Earth, why are they so far away."

"Because they need to be?" her father suggested weakly before rapidly shaking his head. "No, that's bonkers. Hang on. Yes!" He grinned at her. "Oh, do you see? Billions of them, flying in formation, all around the planet. Round and round and round, faster and faster and faster-"

"-until they rip apart the fabric of space!" Jenny nearly shouted. "Oh, that's brilliant! The speed, the numbers, the sheer size of it all, it tears the wormhole into existence!"

"And the wormhole's getting bigger?" Christina asked.

"Because they're getting closer," the Doctor replied.

"But how do they get through. That wormhole's a killer," she pointed out. "We've seen it."

"No, no, no. Look. See the exoskeleton?"

On the screen, it zoomed into a rotating diagram of the stingrays.

"Metal?" she asked incredulously.

"They eat _everything_, and that includes metal. So they eat the metal and then recycle it into their exoskeletons, which makes it safe to travel," Jenny said with a grin. "I take it back, they are technicians. They eat and eat and eat, and once they've finished their meal they go for a run, coming back to their lovely little self-generated wormhole to the next course." The Doctor returned the grin as Jenny was practically quivering in excitement.

"Those things are going to turn the entire universe into a desert," Christina said slowly. "So why are the two of you smiling?"

"Worse it gets, the more we love it," the Doctor laughed. Christina cracked a smile.

"Me too.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor paced in a different section of the ship, Jenny deciding to sit back and enjoy the cold air while it lasted. She may be able to survive extreme weather conditions, partly because of her physiology and partly because of her military programming, but she didn't need to enjoy it.

"The thing is, Doctor," Christina said after a few minutes of quiet, the Tritovores still chittering away, "you're missing the obvious. We came through the wormhole, yes? But our Tritovore friends didn't. They came here to trade with San Helios. Therefore, the question is, why did they crash."

"Ah, good question," the Doctor complimented. "What a team!" He turned to the two Tritovores. "Like she said, why did you crash?"

The Tritovores began leading them deeper into the ship.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Oh, yes," the Doctor said, looking down into a deep hole in the ship. "Look, goes all the way down to the engine." Jenny and Christina leaned over as well, as the Doctor turned back to the Tritovores.

"So what happened?" he asked them. One Tritovore chittered, motioning with its hands. "He says the drive system stalled. Ten miles up, they fell out of the sky. But what caused that?" Now the Tritovore shrugged, waving its hands helplessly.

"Which means no idea," Christina said dryly.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But wait a minute." He leaned back over the edge of the well. "That's a crystal nucleus down there. If the crystal's intact...?" The Tritovore chittered. "Oh, yes. That's better than diesel."

"What, you can use the crystal to move the bus?" Christina scoffed.

"I think so," he said, ignoring her tone. "The spaceship's a write-off, but the two-hundred's small enough."

"How does a spaceship drive a bus?" she asked incredulously.

"In a very complicated bit of clever outer-spaceyness," Jenny shrugged. "Trust him, he's good with that sort of stuff. I'm still learning the basics of dimensional fields." Christina looked a bit lost.

"Have you got access shafts?" the Doctor was asking the Tritovores, who responded with their chittering clicks. "All frozen?" A pause, then a response. "Well, maybe I can open them."

One Tritovore handed the Doctor a couple of earpieces.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. "Internal comms." He tossed one to Christina. "Put that on. You stay here. Keep an eye on the shaft. Tell me if anything changes. Jen, with me. Allons, ma fille chérie!"

Jenny had to quickly sprint after her father as he ran off, the Tritovores hurriedly following behind.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"If I can use that sunlight to start the automatic maintenance..." the Doctor mumbled as he began rerouting several wires and cables. "Christina?" he called into a comm. "If you see a panel opening in that shaft, let me know!"

_"Nothing yet," _Christina responded.

"Anything now?" Jenny spoke into her own comm. as the Doctor messed with more wiring.

_"Afraid not."_

"Any sign of movement?"

_"Nope."_

Jenny frowned at Christina's noncholant tone, almost as though she wasn't paying attention.

"How's that?"

_"Nothing."_

He plugged in another large cable.

"Any result?"

_"Not a dickie bird. So let me get this right. You need that crystal? Then consider it done."_

"Why, what do you mean?" the Doctor asked, but then his eyes widened. "Christina? Christina!" He got up and started running again, Jenny following quickly behind and the Tritovores plowing along tiredly behind them.

_"The aristocracy survives for a reason,"_ Christina said as they ran. _"We're ready for anything."_

The Doctor and Jenny ran into the room just in time to see Christina, attached to a harness, dive into the well.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, pulling the sonic out and aiming it at the pulley, which was attached to the ceiling. "Come on," he muttered as the rope didn't stop. "Come on, come on, come on."

It finally stopped with a jolt.

"That's better," he sighed.

"Why did you stop her?" Jenny asked.

"Cars have hoods over the engine to protect them. Do you really think that there'd be a huge hole leading straight down into the engine without anything to protect it?" he asked.

_"I decide when I stop, thank you,"_ Christina called up from where she was hanging, eagle-spread across the shaft.

"You're about to hit the security grid," the Doctor pointed out. "Look." Christina blinked and turned her head to see a wall of crackling energy a few inches away from her face.

_"Excellent,"_ she sighed. _"So what do I do?"_

"Try the big red button?" Jenny suggested, seeing a rather large red button. Christina punched the button, and the crackling energy field dissipated.

_"Well done,"_ Christina said with a nod.

"Now come back up," the Doctor said. "I can do that."

"So can I," Jenny muttered. He gave her a pointed look.

"I'm not letting you swan dive into an engine shaft when there might be danger down there." She raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't seem to mind when I was sitting on top of a Dalek." He blinked.

"...I was busy."

_"Are you two done?"_ Christina called, lowering herself down the vent. The Doctor sighed, realizing he was losing both arguments.

"Slowly," he cautioned.

_"Yes, sir."_

She continued down, head first. Jenny watched her while the Doctor knelt down and began rummaging through her bag.

"Quite the mystery, aren't you?" the Doctor said as he continued to look. "Lady Christina de Souza, carrying a winch in her bag."

_"No stranger than you, spaceman," _she countered.

"We had a friend, once," Jenny sighed. "She called him spaceman, and she named be Jenny."

_"And was she right about the spaceman part?"_ Christina asked. _"Do you zoom about the place in a rocket?"_

"Well, a little blue box," the Doctor shrugged. "Travels in more than space. It can journey through time, Christina. Oh, the places I've been. World War One. Creation of the universe. End of the universe."

"Met Agatha Christie," Jenny added.

"Mmm," he agreed. "The war between China and Japan." He pulled a large, golden, jewel-encrusted goblet out of her bag. "And the court of King Athelstan in 924 AD. But I don't remember you there. So what are you doing with this?"

A pause.

_"Excuse me," _Christina said after a moment. _"A gentleman never goes through a ladies possessions."_

"It's the Cup of Athelstan," the Doctor explained to the Tritovores and Jenny. "Given to the first King of Britain as a coronation gift from Hywel, King of the Welsh. But it's been held in the International Gallery for two hundred years, which makes you, Lady Christina, a thief."

_"I like to think I liberated it,"_ she responded.

"Don't tell me you needed the money," he scoffed.

_"Daddy lost everything. Invested his fortune in the Icelandic banks."_

"No, no, if you're short of cash, you rob a bank," Jenny said. "Or possibly a jewelry shop, if you think you can sell what you stole without being caught. But stealing something like this? It's a lifestyle."

_"I take it the two of you disapprove?"_

Jenny shrugged.

"Absolutely," the Doctor confirmed. "Except... That little blue box. I stole it."

_"Good boy,"_ Christina laughed. _"You were right. We're quite a team."_

Jenny jumped as a dull roar and a _thud_ echoed throughout the ship. The Tritovores chittered nervously.

_"What the blazes was that?"_ Christina asked.

"We never did find out why the ship crashed," the Doctor muttered before jumping to his feet. "Christina, I think you should come back up."

_"Too late,"_ she said. _"I can see it."_

"Careful," he cautioned again. "Slowly. Have you got an open vent system?" One of the Tritovores clicked a response. "I thought so."

"What is it?" Jenny asked nervously.

"It's like when birds fly into the engines of an aircraft," he said grimly.

_"One of the creatures," _Christina breathed.

"It got trapped in the vents, caused the crash," the Doctor explained. "Christina, get out."

_"It's not moving,"_ she said, also not moving. _"I think it's injured."_

"No, it's dormant because it's cold," Jenny said. "But humans have a body temperature of nearly one hundred degrees Farenheit, you just being down there is causing it to wake up." Christina still made no move to come back up.

_"Almost there."_

"Not just the crystal," the Doctor said. "I need the whole bed, the plate thing."

_"I've got it!" _she exclaimed, and the Doctor instantly sonicked the pulley. Christina began hurtling upwards, but the crashing of metal against metal warned that the stingray was on its way up as well. Jenny laughed as Christina hit the red button on her way up, trapping the stingray in the field.

"Oh, she's good," the Doctor murmured before grabbing Christina as she appeared, pulling her to solid ground. When Christina had been disconnected from the harness, the Doctor took the crystal and its base and turned the the Tritovores.

"Commader?" he said. "Mission complete. Now, we've got to get back to the two hundred, all of us."

The Tritovore chittered.

"Oh, do be so daft," he groaned. "A captain _can_ leave his ship, if there's a bus standing by."

Jenny jumped again as louder noise sounded.

"What the hell was that?" Christina demanded, as surprised as Jenny. "Is this place safe?" She quickly answered her own question. "It's the creature. It's not dead."

"Metal conducts energy," Jenny responded. "The one that followed you probably is dead. But if you hit a swarm of something..."

"This ship's built inside a metal sleeve," the Doctor muttered. "They can move through the infrastructure, all around us. And those things wake up hungry." He turned to the Tritovores again. "Commaber, you've got to come with us right now."

"Come back to Earth," Christina urged. "We'll find you a home."

"Please," Jenny added. "My dad and I, we have a ship of our own back there, we can even take you back to your home planet."

"That's the word of two ladies," the Doctor said. "Come on."

One of the Tritovores went over to a control panel, tapping at the screen, but then a stingray burst through the floor. Jenny's eyes widened at the sheer size of it; it had to be at least twice her height, and that didn't include the tail. The Tritovore at the panel screamed as it dove for him, and Christina turned away as the stingray devoured him. The other Tritovore, the one the Doctor had addressed as the commander, pulled out a gun and advanced, hissing angrily.

"No, don't-!" Jenny started, but flinched as the stingray dover for him as well.

"There's nothing we can do," the Doctor said, grabbing them by the arms and pulling them along. "Run!"

He didn't need to tell them twice.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Barclay's phone rang as they were running down a sand dune.

"Not now, Malcolm!" the Doctor shouted. Jenny panted as the heat began to bear down on them again, the running not helping matters much. She's need to find one of the TARDIS bathrooms, preferably one with a very large shower, when this fiasco was over.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"At last!" Nathan exclaimed, looking up as the trio came running towards the bus. "Where've you been?"

"Get inside," Jenny said, urging him onwards. "Get everyone sitting."

"Now then," the Doctor muttered, crouching down. "Let's have a look."

"So what does the crystal do?" Christina asked with interest.

"Oh, nothing," he said dismissively. "Don't need the crystal." He tossed it over his shoulder, and it landed in the sand.

"Oh, I risked my life for that!" Christina said, gaping.

"No, no," he assured. "You risked your life for _these_." He began attaching the clamps to the wheels. "One there... One there..."

Jenny picked the crystal up out of the sand and held it up to the light.

"If it's any consolation," she said to Christina, "I think I'll keep it. It's pretty."

The Doctor finished putting the clamps on the wheels and dragged them inside, tossing Jenny the phone as he slid into the driver's seat.

"But what are the clamps for?" Christina questioned. "Do they turn the wheels?"

"Something like that," he said with a shrug. "Have you got a hammer in that bag?"

"Funnily enough..." She handed him a mallet.

"Jenny, call Malcolm," he said, fixing the rest of the clamps to the steering wheel. Jenny hit the redial button and handed the phone to the Doctor.

"Malcolm, it's me," he said.

_"I'm ready,"_ came the firm declaration. The Doctor blinked.

"Ready for what?" he asked.

_"I don't know. You tell me."_ The Doctor sighed as Jenny chuckled. She rather liked this Malcolm.

"I'm going to try to get back," the Doctor explained. "But listen, there might be something following us. You need to close the wormhole."

_"Would that be a compressed burst of feedback on a counter-oscillation, perhaps?"_ Malcolm asked. The Doctor laughed.

"Oh, Malcolm, you're brilliant!"

_"Coming from you sir, that means the world."_

_"Doctor,"_ Magambo said, cutting into the conversation. _"What sort of something? That wormhole is measuring ten miles and growing. I need to know the exact nature of the threat."_

The Doctor frowned at the wheel.

"Sorry, got to go," he muttered, shutting the phone. "It's not compatible. Bus, spaceship, spaceship, bus. Got to weld the two systems together."

"Jen?" the Doctor asked, looking over at her.

"Something..." she said slowly. "Something non-corrosive, something that can withstand and conduct energy. Something malleable enough to mold to the hardwiring. Something... gold."

"Oh, no you don't," Christina said, holding her bag protectively.

"Hey, hey, use this." Barclay poked his head around the wall seperating passengers and the driver, holding out his wrist.

"She said gold," the Doctor repeated, looking at his wristwatch.

"It is gold," Barclay said. The Doctor sighed.

"Oh, they saw you coming," he muttered as Barclay left. "Christina..."

Christina reluctantly took the cup from her bag, handing it to him carefully.

"It's over a thousand years old," she said slowly, putting emphasis on each word. "Worth over eighteen _million _pounds. Promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise," the Doctor lied, accepting the cup. Christina nodded, watching him turn the cup upside-down and place it on top of the wheel, then glared as he took the hammer to it.

"I hate you." The Doctor just smirked as he called back around the bus.

"This is your driver speaking. Hold on tight!"

"But what for?" Barclay called back, sitting down and gripping the seat in front of him. "What's he doing?"

"Do as he says!" Christina called back before leaning in closer to them. "What are you doing?"

The Doctor fired up the engine.

"Come on," he muttered, coaxing. "That's it. You can do it, you beauty. One last trip."

With a groan and a shudder, the bus began to rise up into the air.

"Ah, you are so kidding me," Barclay mumbled, staring out the window in awe.

"We're flying," Nathan said, wide-eyed. "It's flying."

"He's flying the bus," Lou whispered.

"It's a miracle," Angela exclaimed.

"Doctor, they're coming," Carmen called.

"Do you think this thing will survive the journey back?" Christina asked as the Doctor turned the bus towards the wormhole.

"Only one way to find out," Jenny grinned. "Next stop, planet Earth!"

The bus dove through the wormhole. In the back, people started to scream as it shook, and blinding light streamed through the windows. Jenny grabbed onto a railing and let out a whoop of excitement. The Doctor grinned as the skyline of London appeared, lights twinkling under the night sky. They rose up into the air, flying over the shocked faces of UNIT.

"It's London!" Barclay shouted.

"He did it!" Nathan cried. "He did it!"

The Doctor called Malcolm again as they continued to fly.

"Malcolm, close that wormhole," he said.

_"Yes sir," _Malcolm said brightly. _"My pleasure, sir!"_

A dial tone. The Doctor stared at the phone.

"He hung up on me!" he said in surprise before calling again. "Malcolm!"

_"Not now, I'm busy!"_

Another dial tone. Jenny laughed.

"Malcolm, listen to me," the Doctor said firmly.

_"It's not working," _Malcolm cried from the other end of the line.

"I need that signal," the Doctor said as three stingrays flew through the wormhole behind them. "We've got billions of those things about to fly through."

_"Well, what do I do?"_

"Loop it back through the integrator, and keep the signal ramping up."

_"But by how much?"_ The Doctor floundered before giving a response.

"Five hundred Bernards!" he shouted. "Do it now!"

"Doctor, it's coming for us!" Nathan shouted, staring out the window. One of the stingrays was heading straight for them.

"Oh no you don't," the Doctor muttered, swinging the bus around in a sharp turn, hitting the stingray and sending it flying in a different direction.

"Did I say I hated you?" Christina asked. The Doctor looked over at her. "I was lying."

As she spontaneously kissed the Doctor, Jenny made her way back into the passenger section of the bus and sat down with the crystal and the Easter egg, which, remarkably, had made it through the trip. The passengers cheered.

"Do not stand forward of this point," the Doctor called as he slowly began to land. "Ladies and gentlemen, you have reached your final destination. The might two hundred."

The bus landed, and UNIT burst into applause. The passengers began to get off the bus, Jenny, the Doctor, and Christina coming off last.

"You take this," she muttered, shoving the Easter egg into her father's hands. "That's what got us into this mess." The Doctor laughed, knowing she was only joking.

"...standard procedure," a man was saying as they exited. "We need to screen you and then you'll all be taken to debriefing."

"I don't count," the Doctor said, flashing the psychic paper. "And, by extension, neither does Jenny. Come on."

"No, but Doctor-" Christina started, but was led over with the other passengers.

"Doctor," a man called. "Jenny."

"You must be Malcolm," the Doctor said with a grin. Malcolm looked at the two with a smile so wide it rivaled the Doctor's on a good day.

"Oh," he said, wrapping the two in a hug. The Doctor stood there awkwardly, his arms pinned to his sides, while Jenny shifted her grip on the crystal and gave an awkward hug in return. "Oh. I love you. I love you. I love you."

"To your station, Doctor Taylor," said a woman who was no doubt Erisa Magambo. Malcolm grinned at the two before nodding.

"Yes ma'am," he said, turning to leave. "I love you," he called one last time, pointing at the two before disappearing into a truck.

"Doctor," Magambo said, "I salute you..."

The Doctor made a face of disgust as she saluted.

"...whether you like it or not. Now, I take it we're safe from those things?"

He shrugged. "They'll start again. Generate a new doorway. It's not their fault, it's their natural life cycle. But I'll see if I can nudge the wormholes to uninhabited planets. Closer to home, Captain..." He nodded at where Nathan and Barclay were being looked over with the other passengers. "Those two lads. Very good in a crisis. Nathan needs a job, Barclay's good with engines. You could do a lot worse. Privates Nathan and Barclay, UNIT's finest."

"I'll see what I can do," she said with a smile. "And I've got something for you."

They looked over to see the TARDIS being unloaded from a truck.

"Better than a bus any day," the Doctor laughed. "Hello."

"You got her all the way from the Buckingham Palace gardens?" Jenny asked. "Impressive."

"She doesn't mind," the Doctor said dismissively.

"I've got three dead alien stingrays to clear up," Magambo said, looking between the two of them. "I don't suppose you fancy helping with the paperwork?" The Doctor laughed.

"Not a change."

"Till we meet again, Doctor, Jenny," she said with a nod and another salute before walking away. Jenny and the Doctor began heading over to the TARDIS.

"Seriously, though, next time, we just head back to the TARDIS," Jenny said. "I don't care where you've parked it, but I'd rather not go through a mess like that again."

"Yes, but us being there saved all those people," he pointed out.

"True, but if we had the TARDIS, we could have saved them much easier."

"When did you get so good at arguing?"

"I'm your daughter, I'm good at talking." Christina ran up to them before they could step inside.

"Little blue box, just like you said," she grinned, looking up at the TARDIS. "Right then. Off we go. Come on, Doctor, show me the stars."

"No." Christina blinked.

"What?"

"No," Jenny repeated quietly.

"But I saved your life. And you saved mine." He shrugged.

"So?"

"We're surrounded by police," she pointed out. "I'll go to prison."

"Yeah."

"But you were right," she protested. "It's not about the money. I only steal things for the adventure, and today with you... I want more days like this. I want every day to be like this. We're made for each other, you said so yourself. The perfect team. Why not?"

"We've lost people," Jenny said softly.

"Lost so many, and lost all of them," the Doctor agreed sadly. "Never again."

A man in a police uniform marched up to them.

"Lady Christina de Souza," he smirked. "Oh, I have waited a long time to say this! I am arresting you on suspicion of theft. You do not have anything to say, etcetera etcetera. Dennison, take her away."

The duo watched in silence as Christina was led away in handcuffs.

"Doctor?" Carmen called as she and Lou were leaving. The Doctor, who was leaning against the TARDIS, looked over. "You take care now."

"You two," he said with a smile. "Chops and gravy, lovely."

"No, but you be careful," she said. "Because your song is ending."

The Doctor's smile faded while Jenny tensed next to her father.

"What do you mean?" he asked stiffly.

"It is returning," she murmured. "It is returning through the dark. And then, Doctor? Oh, but then he will knock four times."

Jenny watched them leave, then turned back to her father.

"Dad," she said. "Dad, what is it? What's happening? What did she mean?"

The Doctor's stunned and rather horrified expression cleared, and he looked over at her.

"It's nothing," he said with an easy grin, although he looked tense. He pulled the sonic out of his pocket, peering around the edge of the TARDIS. Christina was about to be put into a police car.

Jenny grinned as he carefully aimed the sonic, unlocking her handcuffs. She waited until the officer was getting into the front seat before crawling out the opposite side of the car and making a dash for the bus.

"Oi!" one of the cops shouted.

"Stop that woman!" said the man who had arrested her as he chased after her. Jenny and the Doctor followed at a leisurely pace. "Stop that woman! Stop her! Don't just stand there, stop her!"

The UNIT soldiers didn't seem too inclined to help, frusterating the man even more. Christina nearly dove into the bus and shut the doors behind her.

"Open the door!" the man shouted. "I'll add resisting arrest!"

"I'd step back, if I were you," Jenny warned.

"I'm charging you too," he said, turning on them. "Aiding and abetting."

"Right," the Doctor said with a nod. "Yes. We'll just... step inside this police box... and arrest ourselves."

They began heading back to the TARDIS as a few UNIT members chuckled, having overheard what the Doctor had said. The man continued to shout until the bus rose up off the ground, and then he started screaming at her to come back. The other passengers on the bus, and even the majority of the UNIT soldiers, started to cheer as she flew higher into the sky.

"We could've been so good together," she called down at Jenny and the Doctor, slowing the bus down just above the TARDIS.

"Christina!" the Doctor called back. "We were!"

As they stepped into the TARDIS, Jenny lightly punched the Doctor in the arm.

"Oi! What was that for?"

"You insisted on buying the Easter egg."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**Ow... My fingers are killing me right now. Here's a thirty page chapter for you, and technically, since it's only ten o'clock at night here, I'm still on my updating schedule.**

**Ow...**

**Anyway, next chapter. First flashback (and probably one of the only flashbacks) of the story, the Doctor and Jenny get into a fight, and our resident Time Lady sees her father at the brink of insanity. How will she react to Time Lord Victorious?**

**Also, I've put a poll up on my profile. Please go and look at it.**

**Till next Friday!**


	10. The Waters of Mars

_"Come on, Jen. Lesson time!" Jenny groaned, looking up at her father._

_"Can't I take a break?" she asked._

_"I've already given you the weekend off, it's time to get back to work!"_

_"I wouldn't call the weekend a 'break' considering that we wound up getting arrested five times and nearly got blown up."_

_"But that was the fun part of it!" Jenny rolled her eyes._

_"All right, Dad," she sighed. "Give me a moment, I'll be right there. What'll we be learning about?"_

_"You're a Time Lady, Jen, and the most important thing any Time Lord ever knew were the Laws of Time. That's what we're going to talk about today."_

_"Is it easier than dimensional physics?"_

_"Far easier. But you need to always follow these rules, Jen, you need to. There are things in time that absolutely cannot be changed, and the consequences would be dire if you mess with it. We're also going to be working on that telepathic link. You've been doing brilliantly, I think we can work on that as well."_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So, where to now?" Jenny asked, about a month after their expedition to San Helios.

"We've been to Earth plenty of times," he shrugged. "Why not Mars?"

"Seriously?" Jenny grinned. "Brilliant! There're spacesuits in the TARDIS wardrobe, right?" He didn't even get to answer as she ran down the hallway, so he settled for giving a fond smile.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Outside, Jenny wearing a black spacesuit she had salvaged and the Doctor wearing an older, orange one, the duo looked around in awe.

"It's so _red_!" she exclaimed, turning around in circles, trying to take it all in. The Doctor laughed.

"It _is_ the red planet, after all," he replied with a grin. "Come on! Allons-y, daughter dearest!"

He took off, walking at an impossibly fast pace for what he was wearing. Jenny rushed after him, eyes still lit up with awe at everything she was seeing. She felt a faint mental nudge from her father and did her best to quicken her pace.

They had started forging a telepathic link with one another a few weeks ago, the Doctor saying something about accelerated mental capacity due to the fully-grown cloning in the progenation machine and so anatomically her body was accelerating to its approximate age in appearance... Something along those lines. It gave her such an awful headache to hold anything resembling a conversation, but it was a start, and it made her feel closer to her dad. Closer to his expectation.

"Oh, beautiful," she whispered when she stood up next to her dad, gazing down at the base. There was a large circular dome with five outlying domes and a landing pad, a gorgeous silvery-white against the reddish brown rock.

Her dad said Gallifrey had crimson grass and an orange sky. Maybe he came here because it reminded him of home.

She turned to ask, then paused as something jabbed her in the back.

_"Rotate slowly,"_ came a metallic, robotic voice. It was nothing like the Cybermen or the Daleks, but what one would think of as a robot. It just... was. They turned around. _"You are under arrest for trespassing. Gadget-gadget."_

Jenny resisted the urge to burst out in laughter at the tiny, wide-eyed robot pointing a gun at them.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"State your names, ranks, and intention," the blonde woman said, glaring at the duo as she calmly aimed a gun at the Doctor's head. The Doctor paused before answering.

"The Doctor," he said after a moment. "The Doctor. Fun."

"Jenny," Jenny said with a smile, seemingly unconcerned about the gun pointed at them. "Vigilante. Fun."

A dark-skinned man ran through the doors, staring at the duo in incredulity.

"What the hell?" he gasped. "It's a man. And a woman. A man and a woman on Mars! How?"

"They were wearing these," another woman said, holding up their black and orange spacesuits. "I've never seen anything like it.

"What did Mission Control say?" the man asked.

"They're out of range for ten hours," the woman replied. "Solar flares."

"If we could cut the chat, everyone?" said the woman with the gun, continuing to glare.

"Actually, chat's second on my list," her dad piped up. "The first being 'gun pointed at me head'. Which then puts my head second and chat third, I think. Gun, head chat, yeah. I hate lists. But you could hurt someone with that thing. Just put it down."

He could feel Jenny's amusement through their timid bond. The woman raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you'd like that," she scoffed.

"Can you find me someone you wouldn't?" he countered.

"Why should I trust you?" the woman demanded.

"Because we give you our word," the Doctor said. "And forty million miles away from home, that's all you've got."

The woman frowned before lowering the weapon.

"Keep Gadget covering him," she said to another man, who was wearing a pair of thick metal gloves over his hand.

_"Gadget-gadget,"_ the robot said.

"Oh, right, so you control that thing," the Doctor said to the man. "Auto-glove response."

"You got it," the man agreed. "To the right..."

He shifted his hands to the right, and Gadget moved.

_"Gadget-gadget."_

"...and to the left."

Gadget moved to the left.

"It's a bit flimsy," the Doctor said with a critical gaze.

_"Gadget-gadget,"_ the robot protested.

"Does it have to keep saying that?" he asked.

"I think it's funny," the man said coldly, defending his toy.

"I hate funny robots."

_"Excuse me, boss,"_ said a female voice from a communicator. _"Computer log says we've got two extra people on site. How's that possible?"_ The blonde spoke back into the comm.

"Keep the Biodome closed," she said. "And when using open comms, you call me Captain."

_"Yeah, but-"_ The voice was cut off as the man who wasn't holding the gloves spoke up.

"They can't be a World State flight, because we'd know about it," he deduced. "Therefore, they've got to be one of the independents, yeah?" He turned his questioning towards the Doctor and Jenny. "Was it the Branson Inheritance lot? They've talked about a Mars shot for years."

"Right," Jenny said with a nod. "Yes. Of course. You got us. So. I'm Jenny, this is the Doctor, who are you?"

"Oh, come on," the blonde scoffed. "We're the first off-world colonists in _history_. Everyone one planet Earth knows who we are." The Doctor stared, and Jenny felt a sense of dread somewhere in the back of her mind.

"You're the first?" he questioned suddenly. "The very first humans on Mars?"

Jenny froze.

"Bowie Base One," she said, suddenly finding it difficult to speak past the lump in her throat. "Founded July 1st, 2058. Established Bowie Base One in the Busev Crater. How long have you been here?"

"Seventeen months," the blonde said, looking confused.

"2059," she breathed. "2059, right now. Here. Oh."

"You're Captain Adelaide Brooke!" the Doctor exclaimed, smiling at the blonde. "And Ed. Deputy Edward Gold. Tarak Ital, MD. Nurse Yuri Kerenski. Senior Technician Steffi Ehrlich. Junior Technician Roman Groom. Geologist Mia Bennett. You're only twenty-seven years old."

Jenny restrained a flinch as she thought back. The first thing her dad had taught her was what he deemed to be important points in Earth's history; its creation (Racnoss), wars (World War III and the American Revolution, among others), and then, because they travelled through space and time, of course she should learn about the first off-world colony and its inhabitants...

_They all died. A nuclear blast took out the entire base, because Adelaide Brooke set off the self-destruct, and nobody knows why. _

_She sounds like an amazing person._

_She was. Never got the chance to meet her, but all those things she did..._

"As I said, Doctor, Jenny, everyone knows our names," Adelaide responded coldly.

"Oh, they'll never forget them," he murmured. Jenny frowned slightly, the feeling of dread intensifying.

"What's the date?" she demanded. "Today? The exact date?"

"November 21st, 2059," Adelaide replied.

_November 21st, 2059. That's when it happened._

_It's such an insignificant date, in the grand scheme of things. But it's so important..._

_The little things are always important, Jen._

"Right," the Doctor said slowly, swallowing. "Okay. Fine."

"Is there something wrong?" Steffi asked.

"What's so important about my age?" Mia demanded.

"I... should go," the Doctor said, ignoring them. "We both should. We should go. And I'm sorry, I'm sorry with all of my hearts, but it's one of those very rare times when I've got not choice. It's been an honor. Seriously, a very great honor to meet you all. The Martian pioneers."

He quickly went around, shaking everyone's hand, Jenny right along behind him. They each gave a pat to Gadget since Roman was still wearing the auto-gloves.

Jenny turned and gave Adelaide a stiff salute.

"Thank you," the Doctor said, putting an arm around Jenny. "But... there's the other two. Margaret Cain and Andrew Stone."

Adelaide, who had remained remarkably unperturbed throughout all of everything, spoke into the comm.

"Maggie, if you want to meet the only new human being that you're going to see in the next five years, better come take a look," she said.

A roar came over the speakers, and Jenny shook her head.

"We should go," she said to her father. "We should really go."

"This is Central," Ed said, running over to a terminal. "Biodome report immediately."

"Show me the Biodome," Adelaide snapped, turning to him.

"Internal cameras are down," he replied. Adelaide sighed.

"Show me the exterior," she said.

An image of the Biodome came up, the lights going out one by one.

_Vashta Nerada, maybe? I hope not._

"I'm going over," Adelaide announced, starting for the door. "Doctor, Jenny, with me."

"Yeah, I'm sorry," the Doctor repeated. "Er, I'd love to help, but we're leaving. Now."

"Take his spacesuit, lock it up," Adelaide ordered Mia. "This started as soon as you arrived, so you're not going anywhere except with me."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They ran down one of the tunnels, Gadget toddling alongside them.

"What's so important about Mia's age?" Adelaide asked. "You said she's only twenty seven. Why does it matter What did you mean?"

"Oh, I just open my mouth and words come out," the Doctor said dismissively, although Jenny could see the pain in his eyes. "They don't make much sense."

"Telling me," Tarak snorted.

"Thank you, Doctor," the Doctor said sarcastically.

"Any time, Doctor," he replied.

"I hate robots, did I mention?" the Doctor muttered after a brief silence, looking back at Gadget.

_"Yeah, and he's not too fond of you,"_ Roman's voice said from the comm. _"What's wrong with robots?"_

"It's not the robots, it's the people," he said in faint disgust. "Dressing them up and giving them silly voices. Like you're reducing them."

_"Yeah," _Roman said. _"Friend of mine, she made her domestic robot look like a dog."_

Jenny thought of K-9 at the same time her father did.

"Ah, well, dogs," the Doctor said with a shrug. "That's different."

"This channel is open for essential communications only," Adelaide said firmly, glancing at the Doctor.

"Sorry," they both said.

"Was it worth it?" Jenny asked all of a sudden. Adelaide looked over in confusion. "I've read tons about you, Captain Adelaide Brooke. But they never said if you thought it was worth it."

"We've got excellent results from-" she started, but Jenny shook her head.

"No, no, they say you sacrificed everything, your whole life, just to get here."

"It's been chaos back home," she sighed. "Forty long years. The climate, the ozone, the oil apocalypse. We almost reached extinction. Then to fly above that, to stand on a world with no smoke, where the only straight line is the sunlight? Yes. It's worth it." Jenny grinned.

"I've always admired what you did," she said quietly. "The woman with starlight in her soul."

"What's that?"

They ran to a figure who was lying on the floor, face down, sprawled out like some discarded toy.

"It's Maggie," Adelaide breathed.

"Don't touch her!" the Doctor snapped.

"I know the procedure," Tarak said, and Jenny could practically hear the eyeroll in his tone. "Maggie, can you hear me? It's Tarak. Maggie?"

He turned back to them.

"It's okay, she's still breathing. She's alive. Yuri, I'm got Margaret Cain, head trauma. I need a full medkit."

_"I've got it,"_ Yuri said from the comm. _"Medpack on its way."_

Ed and Yuri arrived with a stretcher.

"Don't touch her," the Doctor ordered as they went to move her. "Use the gloves."

"Do what he says," Tarak agreed. "Get her to Sickbay. Put her in isolation."

"We're going to the Biodome," Adelaide said, standing up. "Tarak, with me. Yuri can take care of her. Ed, go back. Gadget, stand guard, keep and eye out."

_"Gadget-gadget."_

"Captain, you're going to need me," Ed said, taking a half-step forwards. "Andy is the only other crew member out here, and if that wasn't an accident, then he's gone wild."

"You've deserted your post," Adelaide said with a glare. "Consider that an official warning. Now get back to work. Doctor, Jenny."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Andrew?" Adelaide called as they walked around the Biodome. Jenny was taking in the sights with wide eyes. "Andrew Stone? It's Captain Brooke. Andy, report. I need to see you. Where are you?"

The Doctor sonicked a terminal, sending the lights back on.

"What's that device?" Adelaide asked, looking at it.

"Screwdriver," he replied, tucking it back in his pocket.

"Are you the Doctor or the Janitor?"

"I don't know. Sounds like me. The maintenance man of the universe."

"You two stay with me," she ordered. "Don't step out of my sight. Tarak, go to External Door South. Make sure it's intact."

"Yes ma'am," Tarak said with a nod before leaving.

Jenny gently ran her fingertips over a flower petal.

"First flower on Mars in over ten-thousand years," she marveled. "And you're growing vegetables, too!"

"It's that lot," Adelaide said, exasperated, although there was fondness underlying the seriousness. "They're already planning Christmas dinner. Last year it was dehydrated protein, this year they want the real thing."

"It's Christmas," Jenny said with a grin. "Fair enough. Oh, you've got birds!"

"It's part of the project, to keep the insect population down."

"Good sign," the Doctor said with a nod.

"In what way?"

"They're still alive."

_"Captain, good news,"_ Yuri said through the comm. _"It's Maggie. She's awake, she's back with us. Hey. How are you, soldier? Just take it easy. Can you remember what happened."_

A much fainter voice, but definitely Maggie's, could be heard.

_"I was... just working. Then I woke up here."_

"What about Andy?" Adelaide questioned. "We can't find him. Was he all right?"

_"I don't know. I just-"_

"If you remember anything, let me know straight away," Adelaide ordered. "And keep the comms clear. Everything goes through me, got that?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They were still looking around the Biodome when an urgent voice came from over the comm. Yuri sounded near panic, and Jenny frowned slightly.

_"This is Sickbay,"_ he was saying. _"We have a situation. Maggie's condition has- I don't know- I don't know what it is. It's water, just pouring out-"_

"Yuri, calm down," Adelaide said calmly. "Just tell me what's happened to her."

_"The skin is sort of broken around the mouth,"_ Yuri said in a somewhat less panicky tone of voice. _"And she's exuding water, like she's drowning."_

Adelaide frowned, then spoke into the comm again.

"Tarak, this area's unsafe, we're going back," she said.

No response.

"Tarak? Tarak!"

"Where was he?" Jenny asked. Adelaide ran down own of the paths in the Biodome, and the two followed.

They skidded to a halt as they came to a dead end, and Jenny gasped when she saw Tarak on the ground, Andy's hand on top of his head. Water was pouring from both of them, and Tarak was shaking.

"Andy, just leave him alone," the Doctor warned.

"Step away from him," Adelaide ordered.

"We can help," Jenny begged. "We promise, we can help, just leave him alone." Andy didn't move. Adelaide, with wavering resolve, pulled out her gun.

"I order you to stop," she said. "Stop, or I'll shoot."

"Andy, I'm asking you to take your hand away from him and listen to me," the Doctor said.

Andy finally released Tarak and looked up at them. Jenny stared at his transformed features, milky white eyes and cracked skin all around his mouth, which was full of something akin to black gelatin, and water dripping everywhere...

"There now, that's better, hm?" the Doctor said lightly. "So you must be Andy. Hello."

Tarak slowly got to his feet, and they saw that he, too, had been transformed.

"We need to go," Jenny said, grabbing her father's hand.

They ran for the nearest airlock, Andy and Tarak behind them. Plants turned into blurs, and the door slammed shut just as Andy fired a jet of water at them from his mouth.

"Oh," Jenny said faintly. "That's new."

_"Captain, we need you back here,"_ Steffi said through the comm, sounding worried.

"Just tell me that Maggie is contained," Adelaide said. "Can you confirm, Ed?"

_"Confirmed,"_ Ed replied. _"She's locked in."_

"Keep surveillance till I get back," Adelaide ordered. "And close down all water supplies. All pipes and outlets. Don't consume anything. Have you got that, everyone? That's an order. Don't drink the water. Don't even touch it. Not one drop."

"Can you talk?" the Doctor asked through the glass, looking at Tarak and Andy, who simply stared back. He turned back to Jenny and Adelaide. "Human beings are sixty percent water-"

"-which makes them the perfect host," Jenny finished, then looked at him. "That's also new." The Doctor nodded his consent.

"What for?" Adelaide asked. "Why would it need us as hosts?"

"I don't know," the Doctor said dully. "I never will. Because I've got to go. We've got to go. Whatever's started here, I can't see it to the end. I can't."

She wasn't entirely sure if he was trying to convince Adelaide or himself.

"Is this airtight?" she asked in a light tone, hiding her nervousness as Andy and Tarak began blasting water at the doors.

"Yes, and therefore watertight," Adelaide replied with a nod.

_Bang._

"Depends on how clever the water is," she replied.

"They're fusing the system," Adelaide gasped.

"Abandon ship!"

And they were off running again as the doors burst open.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They ran towards where Gadget was standing guard. The Doctor pulled his sonic out of his pocket.

"Doctor, we haven't got time," Adelaide said, looking at him.

"They can run faster than us," he explained, sonicking Gadget. "We need a lift. Jen, Adelaide, get on behind me."

"That thing goes at two miles an hour," Adelaide pointed out, but doing as he said anyway. Jenny wondered how they even managed to fit, but it all worked out.

"Not anymore," he said with a grin. "Trust me."

_"Gadget-gadget,"_ Gadget said brightly.

"Gadget-gadget," the Doctor agreed. Flames shot from the robot's exhaust pipes, and they went off with a screech, leaving burning tire marks behind them.

"The Central Dome airlocks have got Hardinger seals," Adelaide explained as she pushed Jenny's hair out of her face. "There's no way they can get in.

And again, Jenny wasn't sure who she was trying to convince.

They made it into the next airlock before Andy and Tarak arrived.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"We're safe," Adelaide said as they kept walking, Gadget trailing alongside. "It's hermetically sealed. They can't get in."

"Water is patient, Adelaide," Jenny said quietly. "Water waits. Water wears down the cliffs, the mountains, the continents, the whole entire world. Water _always _wins."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Biodome tunnel is out of bounds," Adelaide said into the comm. "Andy and Tarak are infected. Repeat, infected. Make no contact. And if they make the slightest move, tell me. I'm going to the Medical Dome."

"Blimey, it's a distance," the Doctor said as they walked. "You could do with bikes in this place."

"Bikes are good," Jenny agreed.

"Every pound in weight equals three tons of fuel," Adelaide pointed out. They shrugged.

"Yeah, I know," the Doctor sighed. "But- _bikes_."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Has that door got a Hardinger seal?" Adelaide demanded of Ed as they went into the Dome.

"No, just basic," he replied, slightly confused. Maggie was behind a glass wall, in quarantine, also transformed.

"Then the moment she heads for the door, we evacuate. Got that?" Ed nodded, moving over to a screen.

"Pulse is low," he said, looking at the data. "Electrical activity in the brain seems to be going haywire."

"Can she talk?" Jenny questioned.

"Don't know," he replied with a shrug. "She was talking before we noticed the change, but-"

"Maggie, can you hear me?" Adelaide asked. "Do you know who I am? It's me, your commanding officer. Captain Adelaide Brooke. Can you tell me what happened?"

Maggie remained motionless, not paying them any attention.

_"Hoorghwall an schtochman ahn warrelinsh och fortabelln on hoorgwhan,"_ Jenny said, and Maggie's head snapped up to look at her. Jenny was aware she messed up a few of the words, but she wasn't as fluent in Martian as she was in Gallifreyan or English.

"What language is that?" Ed asked.

"Ancient North Martian," she responded.

"Don't be ridiculous," Adelaide scoffed.

"But..." Ed said slowly, looking between Maggie and Jenny. "It's like she recognized it."

"And her eyes are different," the Doctor commented. "They're clear, like she's closer to human."

"Not close enough for me," Ed said darkly. The Doctor ignored him and turned back to Adelaide.

"Where do you get your water from?" he asked.

"The ice field," she replied. "That's why we chose the crater. We're on top of an underground glacier."

"Tons of water," Jenny said sarcastically. "Marvelous."

"But every single drop is filtered," she protested. "It's screened. It's safe."

"Looks like it," the Doctor mused.

"But what if there was something frozen down there?" Jenny asked. "Something viral trapped in the ice for millenia."

"Look at her mouth," he continued. "All blackened, like there's some sort of fission. This thing, whatever it is, it doesn't just hide in water. It _creates_ water. Tell me what you want," he asked Maggie.

"She was looking at the screen," Yuri spoke up for the first time. "At Earth. She wanted Earth. A world full of water."

"Captain," Ed said quietly. The two turned around so they were facing away from Maggie, although everyone could still hear what they were saying.

"I'm sorry, but it's an unknown infection," he said quietly, "and it's spreading. That demands Action Procedure One."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Adelaide hissed.

"I think you need reminding," he said, and she sighed.

"Yeah."

"Well, at least I'm good for something."

"Now and again," she agreed. He laughed.

"That's almost a compliment," he said, still chuckling lightly. "Things must be serious."

"Action Procedure One, that's evacuation, right?" Jenny asked. Adelaide nodded.

"We're going home." She grabbed the comm and started issuing orders, broadcasting to the whole base. "This is Captain Brooke. I'm declaring Action One. Repeat to all crew members, this is Action One with immediate effect. Evacuate the base."

A flurry of activity promptly crackled through Adelaide's comm unit.

_"I'll store the central computer. Mia, strip the cargo down to essentials. Roman, on your feet."_

_"But we came all this way-"_

_"And you can kiss that robot goodbye. It's too heavy. Now shove it in storage and hurry up."_

"Steffi, what's your estimate on shuttle liability?" Adelaide asked.

_"It's a nine month flight. It'll take us at least three hours to load up everything we need."_

"You've got twenty minutes," Adelaide responded. "And give me a report on Andy and Tarak."

_"Still in the Biodome tunnel. They're just standing there, like they're waiting."_

"Keep an eye on them. And make that twenty minutes fifteen. Ed, line up the shuttle. Go straight to ignition status."

_"But what about Maggie?"_ That was Yuri.

"She stays behind," Adelaide said, and while her voice was steady it was easy to see the pain in her eyes as she said that. "We've got no way to contain her on board. Close this place down. I want the power directed to the shuttle."

"Captain," Jenny started, but Adelaide guessed what she was going to say and answered.

"Your spacesuits will be returned, Doctor, Jenny," she said. "And good luck to you."

"The problem is," the Doctor said slowly, "this thing is clever. It didn't infect the birds or the insects in the Biodome, it chose the humans. You were chosen. And just like Jenny said, Adelaide, water can wait. Tarak changed right away, but when Maggie was infected it stayed hidden inside her-"

"-no doubt so it could infiltrate the central dome-" Jenny continued.

"-which means any one of you could be infected," the Doctor finished, and Jenny almost grinned, but it still didn't change that nagging feeling of dread. This was a fixed point. Something would still happen to make Adelaide Brooke give the order for Action Five, to send this building crashing to the ground and melting into dust, and they couldn't change it.

"We've all been drinking the same water," she breathed.

"And if you take that back to Earth," the Doctor said quietly. "One drop. Just one drop."

"But we're only presuming infection," she said, refusing to believe that they'd die, needing to keep on fighting. "If we can find out how this thing got through, when it got through... Yuri, continue with Action One. I'm going to inspect the ice field."

"Right," the Doctor said as she left. "We should leave. Finally, we should leave." Jenny nodded her agreement. "No point in us seeing the ice field. No."

They took off after Adelaide, calling her name.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"All I'm saying is _bikes_," the Doctor said as they finally caught up with Adelaide. "Little foldaway bikes. Don't weigh a thing."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I've heard legends," Jenny said as she stood next to her father, looking over at the ice. "Legends of Mars from long ago, a mighty race who built an empire out of snow. The Ice Warriors."

"I haven't got time for stories," Adelaide said as she checked a terminal.

"But maybe they found something down there," she continued. "Used all their power to freeze it." Adelaide sighed.

"Doctor, Jenny, we need to find any sort of change in the water process. We've got to date the infection."

_"Access denied,"_ the computer said, and Adelaide glared at it.

"You don't look like a coward," she continued. "Neither of you. But all you've wanted to do is leave. You know so much about us."

"You're famous," Jenny said, trying to deflect the question, but Adelaide plowed onwards. The Doctor sighed.

"This moment, this precise moment in time, it's like- well- I mean, it's only a theory, what do I know, but I think that certain moments in time are fixed," the Doctor said.

"Tiny little points," Jenny continued. "And everything else is in flux, things can change, but those little moments can never change. Here, now, it's one of those moments. This needs to happen."

"What needs to happen?" Adelaide asked softly, having turned away from the screen.

"I don't know," the Doctor said with a shrug. "I think something wonderful happens. Something that started fifty years ago, isn't that right?" The captain didn't try to keep herself from staring now.

"I've never told anyone that."

"You told your daughter," he countered. "And maybe one day she tells the story to her granddaughter. The day the Earth was stolen and moved across the universe."

_Susie Fontana Brooke, in an interview, she said what inspired her to go into space. _

_What did she say?_

_She said that her grandmother told her mother a story, and her mother told her the story. That when the Earth was stolen, she looked up, and she saw a Dalek. And the Dalek looked at her, and then it flew away. Didn't say a word, didn't chase after her. And she knew she would follow it, because she wanted to see what else was out there._

_She sounds remarkable._

_She was remarkable._

"I saw the Daleks," Adelaide said quietly. "We looked up. The sky had changed. Everyone was running and screaming. And my father took hold of me. He hid me in the attic and said he was going to find my mother. I never saw him again. Nor my mother. They were never found. But out on the streets, there was panic and burning. I went to the window, and there, in the sky. I saw it, Doctor. And it saw me. It stared at me, right through the window, and then it simply went away. I knew, that night, I knew I would follow it."

"But not for revenge," Jenny said quietly.

"That's what makes you remarkable," the Doctor agreed. "And that's how you create history."

"What do you mean?" Adelaide asked.

"Imagine it," Jenny began. "If you began a journey that takes humanity to the stars. It starts with you, and then you in turn inspire your granddaughter."

"In thirty years," the Doctor continued, "Susie Fontana Brooke is the pilot of the first lightspeed ship to Proxima Centari. And then everywhere, with her children, and her children's children forging the way. To the Dragon Star."

"The Celestial Belt of the Winter Queen, the Map of the Watersnake Wormholes. One day, a Brooke will even fall in love with a Tandonian prince, and _that's_ a whole new species."

"But it all begins with you, Adelaide. From fifty years ago to right here, today."

"Who are you?" Adelaide demanded. "Why are you telling me this? Doctor, Jenny, why tell me?"

"As consolation," the Doctor replied.

A maintenance log came up on the screen.

"Andy Stone," she said, looking back at the terminal. "He logged on yesterday."

_"Maintenance log, twenty-one-twenty, November 2059. Number three water filter's bust."_ Andy held up a round filter. _"And guess what? The spares they sent don't fit. What a surprise. Over and out."_

Jenny stared.

"A filter!" she exclaimed. "Just one filter, one break in the dam, is all it takes for the river to come crashing through."

"But that means the infection arrived today," Adelaide gasped. "The water's only cycled out of the Biodome after a week. The rest of us can't be infected." She grabbed the comm. "We can leave," she said. "Ed, we're clean. How are we doing?"

_"Shuttle's active,"_ came Ed's voice. _"Stage one. I haven't got enough time to convey the protein packs. If you want food you're going to have to carry it by hand. Start loading right now."_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"You were right, Doctor," Adelaide called as they again found themselves running down a corridor.

"About what?" he asked.

"Bikes!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Adelaide gave the Doctor and Jenny back their spacesuits.

"Now get to your ship," she said. "I'm saving my people, you two save yourselves. I know what this moment is. It's the moment we escape." _But it's not._ "Now get out."

"Everyone, stay focused," Ed called.

"I'll swap them round," Mia was saying. "Roman, what about you?"

Roman was carrying a large container.

"Protein packs thirty to thirty six," he replied.

"Hurry up, Roman."

"Ditch the central containers, we don't need them."

"Units forty one, forty two, and forty three."

"Unit forty one is here."

"Roman, try to condense the oxygen membranes. We can lose ten pounds. Faster, come on! Ed, how's the fuel jets?"

"Cooling down in about thirty seconds."

"Captain, we've got all the hard drives."

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

"What the hell's that noise?" Adelaide snapped. "Mia, you lot, shut up."

"It's the module sensors," Ed said. "The cameras are down, but there's pressure on top of the module. Two signals right above us."

"That means they're on the roof?"

"How'd they get outside the Dome?"

"Maintenance shafts."

"The shaft's open and they haven't got spacesuits."

"They breathe water."

"But they'd freeze."

"They've got internal fission."

"But we're safe. They can't get through, can they? Can they?"

"This place is airtight."

The roof creaked.

"Can it get through? Ed, can it get through?"

"I don't know! Water isn't motile, but it's persistent."

"Everyone, listen to me. That's ten feet of steel-combination out there. We need all the protein packs or we're going to starve. Now keep working. Roman, watch the ceiling. Ed, get to the shuttle, fire it up."

"I can carry more than this lot, Captain."

"That's an order!"

"Captain."

Jenny took her father's hand as they stood, unmoving, in the midst of the chaos. Because they had to leave, even if it broke their hearts.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_"Tell me what happens," _Adelaide demanded of the Doctor and Jenny, having trapped them in the airlock.

"I don't know," the Doctor said.

_"Yes you do,"_ Adelaide scoffed. _"Now tell me."_

"You should be with the others."

_"Tell me! I could ramp the pressure up in that airlock and crush you."_

"Except you won't. You could have shot Andy Stone, but you didn't," Jenny countered.

"Imagine- imagine you knew something," the Doctor said. "Imagine you found yourself somewhere. I don't know. Pompeii. Imagine you were in Pompeii."

_"What the hell's that got to do with it?"_

"And you tried to save them," he continued. "But in doing so, you make it happen. Anything I do just makes it happen."

_"Captain, we need you right now."_

_"I'm still here."_

"You're taking Action One," the Doctor said. "There are four more standard action procedures. And Action Five is?"

_"Detonation,"_ Adelaide said.

"The final option. The nuclear device at the heart of the Central Dome," the Doctor said.

"Today, on the twenty-first of November, 2059, Captain Brook activates that device, taking the base and all her crew members with her," Jenny continued. "No one ever knows why. But you were saving Earth. That's what inspires your granddaughter."

"She takes your people out into the galaxy because you die on Mars. You die today. She flies out there like she's trying to meet you."

_"I won't die,"_ Adelaide snarled. _"I will not."_

"But your death creates the future," Jenny said weakly.

_"Help me," _Adelaide begged. _"Why won't you help? If you know all of this, why can't you change it?"_

"We can't."

_"Why can't you find a way?"_

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said. "We can't. Sometimes I can, sometimes I do. Most times we can save someone, or anyone. But not you. You wondered all your life why that Dalek spared you. I think it knew. Your death is fixed in time forever. And that's right."

_"You'll die here too, both of you."_

"No," Jenny said, her voice now trembling. "Because Captain Adelaide Brooke is going to save us."

A long, long pause.

_"Damn you."_

The doors slid open.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_"Water! We've got water!"_

_"Get back! Captain! Don't touch it!"_

_"...abandon this section...to the shuttle."_

_"Did it touch you?"_

_"I'm dry."_

_"Take every pack that you can get."_

_"...transferring oxygen to Section F...redline stock..."_

_"Steffi, come!"_

_"Get back!"_

_"Steffi!"_

_"Steffi, get back!"_

_"Close the door!"_

_"Captain!"_

_"We'll open the access panel, get you out through the back."_

_"It's inside!"_

_"Steffi!"_

_"Get back!"_

_"We're coming! Hold on!"_

_"We can't get through!"_

_"I can't move!"_

_"Steffi! Can you hear me?"_

_"Oh my god."_

_"Get out."_

_"We're going 'round the long way."_

_"Need air in Section F."_

_"Locking chamber three. Locking chamber four."_

_"It's going to get through."_

_"Keep moving!"_

_"Gate six is open."_

_"Roman, with me."_

_"You'd better go."_

_"Don't just stand there! Move."_

_"You'd really better go without me. I'm sorry, Captain. Just one drop."_

_"Roman! Roman!"_

_"Leave him, come on."_

_"We can't just leave him!"_

_"Come on."_

_"Let me go! Roman!"_

_"Captain, the shuttle is down."_

_"What the hell do you mean?"_

_"Compromised. It was Maggie."_

_"Get out of there."_

_"Too late. They want this ship to get to Earth. Got no choice. Hated it, Adelaide. This bloody job. You never gave me a chance. You could never forgive me. See you later."_

_"We're losing oxygen! The hull is broken!"_

Jenny fell to the ground, partly from the blast and partly from the emotions threatening to overwhelm her mind.

_Painlossangerpainpainpainimu stwinimustwin_

She slowly pushed herself onto her knees to see the Doctor already on his feet and looking back towards the Base.

"Dad," she gasped. "You can't. It's fixed, we can't change it."

He wasn't listening, and her eyes squeezed shut yet again.

_I'm not just a Time Lord, I'm the last of the Time Lords. They'll never come back. Not now. I've got a TARDIS. Same old life, last of the Time Lords._

_Links can be accelerated by extreme emotion._

_And they died, and took it all with them. The walls of reality closed, the worlds were sealed, gone forever. The Time Lords kept their eye on everything. It's gone now. But they died, the Time Lords, all of them, they died! _

_I'm the last of the Time Lords._

"Dad, _please_," she begged. "You can't do this! You can't!"

It was all she could do to drag herself into the TARDIS and curl into a ball on the floor as her mind was battered senseless.

_...can't be stopped... don't die with us..._

_...going to die...knock four times..._

_...no way to fight them..._

_...heat..._

_...for the future...the human race..._

_Please, Dad! Doctor! Don't do this! No, please! No!_

_There are laws. There are Laws of Time. Once upon a time, there were people in charge of those laws, but they died, they all died. Do you know who that leaves? Me! It's taken me all these years to realize that the Laws of Time are mine, and THEY WILL OBEY ME!_

_...environment controls are down..._

_...not beaten...not beaten!...fighting time itself..._

_...Action Five..._

_If I have to fight you as well, then I will._

_Nuclear device now activated and primed. Entering final process._

She looked up and wiped what tears she could from her face, staring as Gadget rolled in through the door, the TARDIS key in one of his metal hands.

_"Gadget-gadget,"_ it said, wheeling around the console.

Jenny staggered to her feet and began to help Gadget fly the TARDIS.

Because no matter what, the Doctor was her father, and she would always be there to save him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor lead Mia, Yuri, Gadget, and Adelaide out of the TARDIS onto a snow-covered street.

"Isn't anyone going to thank me?" the Doctor asked into the silence. The only noise was Gadget, shutting down. The Doctor cast a brief glance at the robot. "He's lost his signal. Doesn't know where he is."

"That's my house," Adelaide said after a moment.

"Don't you get it?" the Doctor laughed. "This is the twenty-first of November, 2059. It's the same day on Earth, and it's snowing. I love snow."

"What is that thing?" Mia stammered, staring at the TARDIS in horror. "It's bigger- I mean- it's bigger on the inside. Who the hell are you?"

She had been backing away as she spoke, but then she turned and ran.

"Look after her," Adelaide said to Yuri.

"Yes ma'am," Yuri said with a nod.

"You saved us," Adelaide said when it was just the two of them.

"Just think though," he said with a grin. "Your daughter, and your daughter's daughter, you can see them again. Family reunion!"

"But I'm supposed to be dead," she pointed out.

"Not anymore," he countered.

"But Susie, my granddaughter. The person she's supposed to become might never exist now."

"Nah!" the Doctor said dismissively. "Captain Adelaide can inspire her face to face. Different details, but the story's the same."

"You can't know that," Adelaide said coldly. "And if my family changes, the whole of history could change. The future of the human race. No one should have that much power."

"Tough."

"You should have left us there."

The Doctor sighed.

"Adelaide, I've done this sort of thing before," he explained. "In small ways, saved some little people, but never someone so important as you. Oh, I'm good."

"Little people?" Adelaide's tone was bordering on furious now. "What, like Mia and Yuri? Who decides they're so unimportant? _You_?" The Doctor ignored her.

"For a long time now, I thought I was just a survivor, but I'm not," the Doctor said smugly. "I'm the winner. That's who I am. The Time Lord Victorious."

"And there's no one to stop you," Adelaide said. It wasn't a question.

"No."

"This is wrong, Doctor." She still argued, trying to make him see sense. "I don't care who you are. The Time Lord Victorious is wrong."

His expression turned cold.

"That's for me to decide." He glanced over at the door. "Now, you'd better get home." A pause. "Oh, it's all locked up. You've been away. Still, that's easy."

With a flash of the sonic, the door creaked open.

"All yours."

"Is there nothing you can't do?" she asked.

"Not anymore."

Adelaide walked inside. The Doctor watched her go.

A bang. A flash of light. He spun to face Adelaide's house.

In his head, he could see her place of death changing from Mars to Earth.

_I don't care who you are. The Time Lord Victorious is wrong._

"Are you happy now?"

He turned around again to see Jenny looking at him. Her tears were long gone, but her eyes were rimmed red and he could feel pure fury coming from her.

"Is this what you wanted?" she snapped, moving forwards so she was inches away from him. "I can't even remember how many times you told me that you can never change a fixed point, and now you've just gone and done as you pleased? The Time Lord Victorious?"

"Jenny-" he started, but she shook her head.

"No," she said, her voice trembling. "No! This isn't right, _Father_. This is madness! You're insane!"

The Doctor sank to his knees in the console room as Jenny tore blindly through the snow.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

She didn't know how long she'd been walking. She just knew that it was a mistake to go out in the middle of a winter's night wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Her face was coated in frozen tears. Snow was soaking her shirt and freezing her hair, and her teeth were chattering as her entire body shook with cold. The streets were empty.

"The song is ending."

She spun around, eyes wide, adrenaline, temporarily wakening her numbed senses. It was an alien, that was obvious, with a oval, mottled head and slanted, milky eyes. Tentacles dangled from where its mouth should be, and it took her a moment to recognize it. Her brain had slowed down in this frigid whether. Ood. Yes, that's what it was. It was an Ood.

"I- I- I'm sorry?" she chattered.

"The song is ending. You must go back."

It vanished in a flurry of snow, but she looked back in the direction she had come.

It was cold, and _she_ was cold, and there was no longer nauseating madness pressing around at her from all corners.

She had to go back, because who knew what would happen if her father was left to his own?

She had to go back, because if she didn't he'd be alone and she'd be homeless. 2059, would Martha or Donna or anybody even be alive?

She had to go back, because he was her father, and she needed to be there for him, no matter what.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**Okay. Okay. I apologize. I'm aware I'm late. Again. As some of you might know, there was kind of a hurricane a couple weeks ago on the East Coast, and I was so busy with that and school and overall **_**life**_**that I hadn't even started the chapter, which I realized on Friday when I went to update. But really, I'm giving you twenty page chapters. That should make up for any delays that happen. Just saying. So... Yeah. That's about it. Lots of angst for you. Glad everybody has been enjoying the story so far! Only two more chapters left until we reach Matt Smith's era. As a reminder, you should also go and vote on the poll I've put up on my profile page.**

**Um... yeah.**


	11. The End of Time Part 1

**I just want to apologize to everybody for being late. Again. My hard drive crashed, and I lost all of my work. EVERYTHING. That's all my homework (which now needs to be rewritten) and every single one of my stories. And I had to use **_**Wordpad**_**, of all things, to get most of this written.**

**So. Again, apologies. Only one week left... I'm not going to say I like Tennant the best out of all the Doctors, because they were all incredibly epic (even if Six could give me a headache and One and Two acted too much like grumpy old men sometimes), but the next chapter is gonna be full of angst. Lots of angst around here. Then it's into Smith's era!**

**And again, as a reminder, you only have one week left to vote on the poll I have put up, which is really relevant to the story here. Think of me as one of those annoying campaigns that bugs you into voting. Actually don't, 'cause I'm not a repetitive commercial, but something along those lines.**

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_It is said that in the final days of planet Earth, everyone had bad dreams. To the west of the north of that world, the human race did father, in the celebration of a pagan rite to banish the cold and the dark. Each and every one of those people had dreamt of the terrible things to come. But they forgot, because they must. They forgot their nightmares of fire and war and insanity. They forgot._

_Except for one._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The TARDIS materialized on a snow covered planet, the Doctor stepping out wearing a stetson and a lei, Jenny following behind with a wreath of flowers in her hair. An Ood stood a couple feet away, waiting for them.

Things had been tense after Mars. The Doctor's brief affair with insanity had him locked up in his room for days in shame. He had firmly locked down every mental shield he had so that nothing could touch him, mentally or physically.

Jenny, on the other hand, was holed up in her room for a different reason; the forced link and the extended time she spent in the cold. She didn't leave her bed except to stagger into the adjacent bathroom, and the rest of the time was spent in fitful sleep. Apparently, being a Time Lady didn't stop you from catching the flu. As for the link with her father, it happened too quickly. It was like opening a window during a hurricane. The oncoming storm would pour in and everything would be swept away, and you needed to use every ounce of strength you had to slam the window shut.

It was nearly a week later when the Doctor finally left for food and Jenny, feeling well enough to walk to the kitchen, went to do the same. What followed was a rather loud argument that somehow ended with them sitting on the floor tightly hugging the other, ignoring the fact that they were both crying.

Even after that, conversations could rapidly become awkard and silent, but they were moving on. Adventures resumed, and at least now everything resembled normalcy.

"Ah!" the Doctor said with a grin, looking around and seeing the Ood. "There you are. So, where were we? You summoned us, yes? An Ood in the snow, calling to us. Well, didn't exactly come straight here."

"Went around, had fun," Jenny agreed. "Traveled about. Got into trouble. Did an outrageous amount of running. We saw the Phosphorous Carousel of the Great Magellan Gestadt, saved a planet from the Red Carnivorous Maw, named a galaxy Alison. Well, he did. Had a bit of a family reunion in 14th century England."

The Doctor's expression darkened at that, causing Jenny to roll her eyes.

"What? Is it really such a crime to talk with Martha and Sarah Jane?" she asked. He frowned.

"It is when you wind up inviting Jack as well," he replied. Jenny laughed.

"Oh, he's not that bad," she said. The Doctor sighed.

"Inviting Sarah Jane, her son Luke, Mickey, Martha, and Jack to go to a party hosted by the Queen is most certainly a bad idea," he countered. "Especially when Jack was introduced to Elizabeth I." Jenny paused, before shrugging.

"Okay, so maybe we shouldn't have invited Jack. Or maybe we should have gone somewhere else. But it was still nice to talk to everyone again."

"True," he conceded. "Anyway, Ood Sigma, what do you want?"

"You should not have delayed," the Ood said calmly.

"The last time I was here you said that my song was ending," he said grimly. "I'm in no hurry for that."

"You will come with me," Sigma stated. The Doctor sighed.

"Hold on," he muttered. "Better lock the TARDIS."

Jenny raised an unimpressed eyebrow as the TARDIS locked with a noise similar to a car.

"See?" he said, grinning as he looked back at them. "Like a car."

The Ood just blinked. He tried again.

"I locked it, like a car. Like- It's funny." Still no reaction, although Jenny was smiling. "No? Little bit?"

Ood Sigma blinked. He sighed again.

"Blimey, try to make an Ood laugh."

They started walking across the snow, but paused when the Doctor saw a city.

"Oh!" he exclaimed "Magnificent! That is _splendid_. You've achieved all of this in how long?"

"One hundred years," Ood Sigma replied in the same calm tone.

The Doctor froze, while Jenny looked mildly confused.

"Then we've got a problem," he said. "Because all of this is way too fast. Not just the city, I mean your ability to call us. Reaching all the way back to the twenty first century. Something's accelerating your species way beyond normal."

"And the Mind of the Ood is troubled." For the first time, Sigma sounded slightly worried.

"Why?" Jenny asked. "What's happening?"

"Every night, Doctor, Commander. Every night, we have bad dreams."

The use of _Commander_ was not lost on either Jenny nor the Doctor.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ood Sigma led them to an ice cave, where a circle of Ood were sitting on the ground. Jenny repressed a shudder at the brains sitting in their laps. One of the Ood was chanting, this one holding a brain and its brain was also quite visible inside its head.

"Returning, returning, returning," it was saying. "Is is slowly returning through the dark and the fire and the blood. Always returning, returning to this world. It is returning, and he is returning, and they are returning, but too late. Too late. Far too late. He has come."

"Sit with the Elder of the Ood, and share the dreaming," Ood Sigma said politely. Jenny and the Doctor glanced at one another before sitting down as the Ood shifted to make room.

"You will join," they chanted as one, joining hands. Jenny was determined _not_ to get nervous, despite the Ood putting her on edge. "You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join."

They linked hands with the Ood.

_A man, laughing as he basked in insanity_.

The Doctor jerked away, and the circle was broken. Jenny shivered.

"He comes to us every night," the Elder said. "I think all the peoples of the universe dream of him now."

"That man is dead," the Doctor gasped.

"Who is he?" Jenny asked, but nobody answered.

"There is yet more," the Elder said. "Join us. Events are taking place. So many years ago, and yet changing the now. There is a man."

_Wilfred Mott._

_Laughter._

"So scared."

"Wilfred," the Doctor breathed as Jenny watched from behind closed eyes. "Is he all right? What about Donna, is she safe?"

"You should not have delayed, for the lines of convergence are being drawn across the Earth. Even now, the king is in his counting house."

_A man and his daughter, smiling for myriads of flashing cameras._

"I don't know them," he murmured.

"And there is another," the Elder said calmly. "The most lonely of all, lost and forgotten."

_A woman in a cage._

"We see so much," Sigma said as they opened their eyes. "But understand little. The woman in the cage. Who is she?"

"She was-" the Doctor started, then paused. "It wasn't here fault, she was-" Another pause. "The Master, he's a Time Lord, like me. I can show you."

Jenny was sucked into the memories, wondering who this _Master_ was. If he was a Time Lord...

_The same man, running across a room and roughly kissing a woman in a red dress._

_Little metal orbs, laughing and burning and slicing as they poured out of the sky. The Master and his wife watched._

"The Master took the name of Saxon," he explained. "He married a human, a woman called Lucy. And he corrupted her. She stood at his side while he conquered the Earth. I reversed everything he'd done so it never even happened, but Lucy Saxon remembered."

_A gunshot._

_The Master, stumbling backwards, surprise written across his face._

_The Doctor, sobbing as he held the limp body._

_A funeral pyre, alight with flames as the Doctor stood in silence._

"I held him in my arms, I burnt his body. The Master is _dead._"

"And yet, you did not see," the Elder whispered. The Doctor frowned.

_Laughter._

_The Doctor, walking away._

_A ring falling to the ground._

_A woman cradling the ring with delicate hands._

"Part of him survived," he gasped. "I have to go!" They made to stand up, but the Ood pulled them back to the ground.

"But something more is happening, Doctor. The Master is part of a greater design, because a shadow is falling over creation. Something vast is stirring in the dark."

The Elder Ood looked up, and his eyes were glowing red. The Doctor stared as Jenny repressed the urge to move away.

"The Ood have gained the power to see through time, because time is bleeding," the Elder continued. "Shapes of things once lost are moving through the veil, and these events from years ago threten to destroy this future, and the present, and the past."

"What do you mean?" Jenny whispered.

"This is what we have seen, Doctor, Commander. The darkness heralds only one thing."

The Ood spoke in unison.

_"The end of time itself."_

As they ran back to the TARDIS, the same maddened laughter echoed through her mind.

They arrived on Earth to find a building in smoking ruins.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They stood on top of a pile of gravel, eyes scanning the junkyard.

_'You can smell him,'_ the Doctor's voice whispered in her mind. _'He's near, can't you tell?'_

_Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong._

Pause.

_Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong._

They took off running towards the sound, past piles of girders and more gravel until they saw a man standing up against the skyline, and Jenny _knew_ it was this Master. He screamed, and Jenny took a half-step back as his skeleton flashed an iridescent blue.

"Please, let me help!" the Doctor shouted. "You're burning up your own life force!"

The Master just launched himself into the sky, and they were off running again. Jenny turned a corner, on the Doctor's heels, only to run into Wilfred, the Master nowhere in sight.

"Oh my gosh, Doctor," the older man exclaimed. "And Jenny! Oh, you're a sight for sore eyes."

"Out of my way!" the Doctor snapped, looking around frantically. Jenny nudged his mind, briefly shaking her head, and he slowed down.

"Did we do it?" an older man asked. "Is that them?"

"Tall and thin, big brown coat, bit shorter and thin, blonde," another man mused.

"The Silver Cloak," an elderly woman said happily. "It worked! Because Wilf phoned Netty, who phoned June, and her sister lives opposite Broadfell, and she saw the police box, and her neighbor saw them heading east." The Doctor blinked a few times in surprise while Jenny looked around, thoroughly bewildered.

"Wilfred?" he said after a pause. The three shifted away from the group.

"Yeah?" Wilf asked.

"Have you told them who we are?" he hissed. "You promised me."

"No, I just said you were a doctor and you were his friend," Wilf assured quickly. "And might I say, sir, it is an honor to see you again." He finished with a salute. Jenny laughed and hugged the older man.

"Oh, but you never said he was a looker," the elderly woman exclaimed. "He's gorgeous, and that friend of his is a pearl! Take a photo." She handed a camera to another man as they all filed into a group. The Doctor was still thoroughly confused. "I'm Minnie," the woman continued, grinning at the two. "Minnie the Menace. It's been a long time since I had a photo with a handsome man."

"Just get off him," Wilf groaned. "Leave him alone, will you?"

"Hush, you old misery," Minnie shushed. Jenny shifted uncomfortably. "Come on, Doctor, Jenny, give us a smile."

They both tried, but it came out more as a grimace.

"That's it!" she praised.

"Hold on, did it flash?" the man with the camera asked.

"No, there's a blue light," Minnie said. "Try again."

"I'm all fingers and thumbs," the man laughed as he fiddled with the camera.

"We're rather busy-" Jenny tried, but Minnie shook her head.

"Oh, it won't take a tick. Keep smiling."

A pause, then Jenny felt surprise over the blooming link as the Doctor nearly jumped a foot in the air.

"Is that your _hand_, Minnie?" he yelped.

"Good boy," Minnie laughed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

A bus dropped Wilfred, Jenny, and the Doctor in front of a small cafe, and they waved goodbye to the rest of Wilfred's elderly friends.

"Over here, come on," he said as the bus rolled away. They walked towards the building.

"What's so special about this?" Jenny asked as they went inside. "We've passed seventeen cafes on the way here."

"Thought it was fifteen," the Doctor frowned.

"Sixteen. We'll compromise."

Wilfred didn't answer, opening the door for them.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Oh, we had some good times," Wilfred smiled. "I mean, all those ATMOS things, and planets in the sky, and me with that paint gun." Jenny laughed. The Doctor gave a faint smile, but the mood quickly grew serious. "I keep seeing things." Now Wilf's voice was strained, tired. "This face at night."

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked all of a sudden. Wilf blinked.

"I'm Wilfred Mott," he said slowly. The Doctor shook his head.

"No. People have waited hundreds of years to find me and then you manage it in a few hours." Wilfred shrugged.

"Just lucky, I suppose."

"No, we keep on meeting, Wilf. Over and over again like something's still connecting us."

"What's so important about me?" Wilf asked.

"Exactly," he agreed. "Why you?"

A pause.

"I'm going to die."

Wilfred stared, and Jenny was confused. Carmen had said that 'the song is ending' but that didn't mean _he _was going to die.

"Well, so am I, one day," Wilfred shrugged.

"Don't you _dare_," the Doctor snapped, and the older man – or younger, depending on who you asked – taken aback.

"All right," he said, swallowing. "I'll try not to."

"But I was told- He will knock four times." Jenny reached under the table and squeezed her father's hand. "That was the prophecy. Knock four times, and then-"

"But I thought, when I saw you before, you said your people could change, like, your whole body," Wilf protested.

"I can still die," he whispered. "If I'm killed before regeneration, then I'm dead. Even then, even if I change, it still feels like dying. Everything I am dies. Some new man goes sauntering away, and I'm dead."

Jenny looked anywhere but in front of her, but her breath hitched in her throat as she saw Donna through the window.

"I'm sorry, but I had to," Wilf said. "Look, can't you make her better?"

"Stop it," Jenny snapped, doing her utmost best not to run and wrap her friend in a hug.

"No, but- You're so clever, the both of you. Can't you bring her memory back?" Wilf pleaded. "Look, just go to her now. Go on, just run across the street. Go up and say hello."

"If she ever remembers me, her mind will burn, and she will die," he said coldly.

They heard Donna shouted at the traffic cop.

"_Don't you touch this car!"_

"She's not changed," the Doctor said with a shaky laugh.

"Nah," Wilf chuckled. "Oh, there he is." A man went up to Donna, greeting her with a smile. "Shaun Temple. They're engaged. Getting married in the spring."

"Please tell me she's not going to be called Noble-Temple," Jenny said abruptly.

"No, it's Temple-noble," Wilfred corrected.

"Right," she Doctor said slowly, holding Jenny's hand, offering what little comfort he could. "Is she happy? Is he nice?"

"Yeah, he's sweet enough," Wilf sighed. "He's a bit of a dreamer. Mind you, he's on minimum wage, she's earning tuppence, so all they can afford is a tiny little flat. And then sometimes I see this look on her face, like she's so sad, but she can't remember why."

"But she's got him," Jenny whispered.

"She's making do."

"Aren't we all?" the Doctor said bitterly.

"How about you two?" Wilfred asked, changing the subject. "Have you got anyone?"

"No one," he whispered. "Traveling alone, I thought it would be better. But I did some things. It went wrong. I-"

He cut himself off, burying his face in his hands.

_The Laws of Time are mine. And THEY WILL OBEY ME!_

"Oh my word," Wilfred whispered, unable to stand seeing the two so vulnerable, so broken. "I'm so sorry."

"Merry Christmas," the Doctor said hoarsely, looking back up.

"But... wouldn't it help?" Wilfred questioned. "You know, you need her, Doctor. I mean- Wouldn't she make you laugh again, the two of you? Good old Donna?"

They didn't answer.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_And so it came to pass that the players took their final places, making ready the events that were to come. The madman sat in his empire of dust and ashes, little knowing of the glory he would achieve. While his saviors looked upon the wilderness, in the hope of changing destiny itself. Far away, the idiots and fools dreamt of a shining new future. A future now doomed never to happen. As Earth rolled onwards into night, the people of that world did sleep, and shiver, somehow knowing that dawn would bring only one thing._

_The final day._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Who is the Master?" Jenny asked quietly as they walked down a dark street. The Doctor didn't answer, and just when Jenny thought he hadn't heard her, he spoke.

"Back- back home. Back on Gallifrey. My family, my parents, your grandparents, they were rich. So rich it was almost ridiculous. We had our own section of land in the Citadel, more than almost everybody else. And I was supposed to be trained as a Lord – no pun intended – to take my father's place on the Council. But I was a bit of a teenage rebel." Jenny grinned.

"Well, that's nothing knew." He gave a bittersweet smile.

"I would much rather run in the fields on our property, or explore in my father's TARDIS, or even sneak a few pastries from the shops in the city than be sitting around learning etiquette. Can you really see me learning etiquette? It's torture, that. Anyway, on one of my little escapades, I ran into another boy, my age. His father was equally rich, but they were lesser in status. Not that it mattered. Took a bit of convincing on my part, but we were friends. When we got to the Academy, we were on the same block, and between the two of us, along with eight others, the instructors had their hands full."

"So... you were friends?"

"Yeah. But he went mad, Jen. I watched my closest friend fall into insanity, and there wasn't a thing I could do to stop it."

After that, they walked in silence until they reached a junkyard. The Doctor turned.

"Jen, I want you to stay-"

"I'm not leaving you!" she snapped, cutting him off. He sighed.

"If the Master knows that you're my daughter, he will kill you. Right now, he's focused on me, he hasn't noticed you yet, but if he sees you, he will know, and he won't be afraid to use you. I won't lose you, Jenny. I'll be fine, I promise. Just- stay here. Please."

She met his eyes and nodded.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I had estates," the Master said, catching the Doctor before he collapsed from the pure energy fired at his chest. The Doctor, on his knees, stared at the shell of his former friend. "Do you remember my father's land back home? Pastures of red grass, stretching far across the slopes of Mount Perdition. We used to run across those fields all day, calling up at the stars. Look at us now."

"All that eloquence," the Doctor gasped. "But how many people have you killed?" The Master smirked.

"I am _so_ hungry."

"Your resurrection went wrong. That energy. Your body's ripped open. Now you're killing yourself."

"That human Christmas out there," the Master said, almost in reverence. "They eat so much. All that roasting meat, cakes and red wine, hot, fat, blood. Pot, plates of meat, and flesh, and grease, and juice, and baking burnt sticky hot skin and it's _so hot_-"

"Stop it," the Doctor snapped, feeling ill.

"-sliced, sliced, sliced-"

"Stop it," he repeated.

"It's mine. It's mine. It's mine to eat and eat and eat-"

"Stop it!"

The Master finally fell silent and watched him with crazed eyes.

"What if I ask you for help?" he continued. "There's more at work tonight than you and me." The Master scoffed.

"Oh yeah?" The Doctor sighed.

"I've been told something is returning."

The other Time Lord gave a deranged grin.

"And here I am."

"No, something more," the Doctor said.

"But it hurts."

He paused, momentarily thrown off-balance by the topic change.

"It hurts, Doctor, the noise, the noise in my head, Doctor. One-two-three-four-one-two-three-four." He tapped on the sides of his head as though to emphasize his point. "Stronger than ever before. Can't you hear it?"

"I'm sorry."

"Listen, listen, listen, listen," he hissed. "Every minute, every second, every beat of my hearts, there it is, calling to me. _Please_ listen."

The Doctor's hearts broke a little bit more.

"I can't hear it," he said quietly.

"_Listen._"

The Master reached out with trembling hands, and before the Doctor could pull away the Master was pushing through his thoughts- _drumdrumdrumdrum drumdrumdrumdrum._

The Doctor tore away.

"What?" the Master asked. The Doctor stared. "What!"

"I heard it," he gasped. "But there's no noise. There never has been. It's just your insanity. What is it? What's inside your head." The Master glared.

"It's real," he snarled. "It's real! _It's real!_"

Firing energy from his palms, he rocketed into the sky and away from the Doctor.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny suddenly doubled over where she was sitting. She could feel turmoil from her father over the link, but then there was _something_ and this noise, pounding noise _onetwothreefouronetwothreefo ur_ and it _hurt_.

Her head snapped up as she heard gunshots in the distance, and she didn't _care_ what her father said, she was going to help him! Her feet pounded against the gravel as she ran towards lights in the distance, but when she got there, there was only her father, unconscious on the ground.

"Dad?" she shouted, running over to him and rolling him onto his back. No response. "Dad!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I lost him," the Doctor admitted to Wilf as they stood outside the Noble's house, next to the TARDIS. "I was unconscious, and Jenny wasn't close enough to do anything. He's still on Earth, I can smell him, but he's too far away." Wilf nodded a couple times, then frowned at the TARDIS.

"Listen, you can't park there," he said. "What if Donna sees it?"

The Doctor ignored him.

"You're the only one, Wilf," he continued. "The only connection I can think of. You're involved, if I could work out _how_."

"Have you seen anything strange, anything odd?" Jenny questioned. Wilfred paused.

"Well, there was a-" He stopped himself.

"What?" the Doctor said, in a tone bordering on demanding. "What is it? Tell me."

"Well, it was- No, it's nothing." Jenny sighed.

"_Think_," the Doctor muttered, pacing. "Maybe something out of the blue. Something connected to your life. Something-"

"Donna was a bit strange," Wilf cut in. "She had a funny little moment this morning, all because of that book."

"What book?" Jenny demanded.

"His name's Joshua Naismith," Wilf said, handing them a book.

"It's the man the Ood showed us," Jenny whispered.

"The what?" Wilf asked.

"The Ood," Jenny replied.

"What's the Ood?"

"They're just Ood," she said with a shrug.

"Donna's subconscious," the Doctor grinned. "She's still fighting for us, even now. The DoctorDonna."

"Dad, what are you up to?" Sylvia shouted from somewhere inside the house. She walked outside and froze, looking at Jenny and the Doctor. "You two. Get out of here."

"Merry Christmas," the Doctor said with a grin. Sylvia sighed.

"Merry Christmas," she agreed. "But she can't see you. What if she remembers? Go."

"I'm going," the Doctor muttered, backing off.

"Yeah, me too," Wilf agreed. Jenny gave Sylvia a brief wave before following.

"Oh, no you don't," Sylvia protested, going after her father. "Dad, I'm warning you."

"Bye, see you later," Wilf called as they stepped inside of the TARDIS, which promptly dematerialized.

"Naismith!" the Doctor exclaimed, bounding up to the console and looking at the scanner. "If I can track him down-"

Jenny pointedly cleared her throat, nodding at Wilf when the Doctor looked over. He was stunned by the interior of the TARDIS.

"Ah," he said. "Right. Yes. Bigger on the inside. Do you like it?" It took Wilf a moment to answer.

"I thought it'd be cleaner," he finally said. Jenny leaned against the railing for support as she laughed.

"Cleaner?" the Doctor asked incredulously. "I could take you back home right now." They all knew it was an empty threat, though, and moved towards the console.

"If this is a time machine," Wilfred asked after a pause, "that man you're chasing, why can't you just pop back to yesterday and catch him?" The Doctor looked at Jenny.

"We can't go back inside our own timeline because we need to stay relative to the Master within the casual nexus," she said, smiling as she got the answer right. "Did that make sense?"

"Not a word," Wilf replied.

"Welcome aboard."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"We've moved," Wilf exclaimed as they stepped out into unused stables. "We've really moved!"

"You two should stay here," the Doctor warned.

"Not bloody likely," Wilf snorted. Jenny just raised an eyebrow.

"Don't swear," the Doctor admonished, then pointed a key at the TARDIS, causing it to fade out of existence. "Just a second out of sync, can't have the Master finding the TARDIS. That's the last thing we need."

They walked through the grounds of the mansion, ducking behind a pillar or a wall whenever a patrol came by.

"Down here," Jenny whispered, nodding to a trap door in an archway, and they were in.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Hello," Jenny said with a grin as the trio walked into part of the mansion basement. A young blonde scientist spun around in surprise, then reached for a comm.

"Don't try calling security, or I'll tell them you're wearing a Shimmer," the Doctor said, and the woman stopped moving. "Because I reckon anyone wearing a shimmer doesn't want the Shimmer to be noticed, or they wouldn't need a shimmer in the first place.

"I'm sorry?" the woman asked, doing a remarkable job of lying to them. "What's a Shimmer?"

"Shimmer!" the Doctor grinned. The scientist flickered before being replaced by a light green woman covered in spikes, mainly on her head.

"She's a cactus?" Wilf gaped.

"He's got it working," the Doctor muttered, running over to a screen and pulling up schematics and readings and diagrams. "But what is it? _What's_ working?"

"What are you doing here?" a male scientist demanded, running in.

"Shimmer!" the Doctor shouted, pointing the sonic without looking. The man turning into a cactus-like person as well. "Now, tell me quickly, what's going on? The Master, Harold Saxon, Skeletor, whatever you're calling him, what's he doing up there?" The man sighed.

"Look, I checked the readings. He's done good work, it's operational.

"Are you Zocci?" Jenny asked out of the blue. The Doctor grinned.

"Ah, I met a Zocci once. Little red cyborg, brilliant person."

"We're not Zocci," the woman groaned.

"We're Vinvocci," the man corrected. "_Completely_ different."

"And the Gate is Vinvocci," the woman added. "We're a salvage team. We picked up the signal when the humans reactivated it. As soon as it's working, we can transport it to the ship."

"But what does this Gate _do_?" Jenny questioned.

"Well, it mends," the man shrugged. "It's as simple as that. It's a medical device to repair the body. It makes people better."

"No, there's got to be more than that," the Doctor muttered.

"So it's like a sickbed, yeah?" Wilf asked.

"More or less," the woman agreed.

"Well, pardon me for asking, but why's it so big?" The Doctor spun around, taking interest.

"Oh, good question. Isn't that a good question, Jen? Why's is so big?"

"It doesn't just mend one person at a time," the woman scoffed.

"That would be ridiculous," the man agreed, chuckling. "It mends whole planets."

The Doctor froze.

"It does _what_?"

"It transmits the medical template across the entire population."

Jenny took off after her father as he bolted through the door.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Turn off the Gate!" he shouted, running into what appeared to be a control room. Everyone turned to face the two, Jenny having just appeared behind him.

"At arms!" one soldier shouted, and then they were being held at gunpoint. Jenny sighed.

"No, no, no, no, no," the Doctor said quickly, looking at the Master. "Whatever you do, just don't let him near that device."

The Master, who was staring at Jenny with a hungry gleam in his eyes, smirked at the Doctor.

"Oh, like that was ever going to happen," he laughed, throwing off the straight jacket he was wearing and leaping into the Gate. Light swirled around him, casting an eery blue glow.

"Homeless, was I?" he laughed. "Destitute and dying? Well, look at me now!"

"Deactivate it!" the Doctor shouted. "Everyone, turn the whole thing off!"

The Master cackled, and people slowly lowered their heads into their hands, blinking, as though trying to clear their vision.

"He's inside my head," Naismith muttered.

"Get out of there!" the Doctor shouted to a scientist who was inside a glass box.

"Doctor!" Wilf groaned, leaning against the wall, breathing heavily. "Doctor, there's this face."

"What is it?" Jenny asked. "What can you see?"

"It's him," the older man moaned. "I can see him!"

"I can't turn it off," the Doctor muttered.

"That's because I locked it, idiot," the Master said with a roll of his eyes.

Jenny took her father's place at the terminal while the Doctor managed to do something with the glass boxes to protect Wilf. She wasn't entirely sure what – she was more focused on the computer and even that wasn't much since the Master was practically _leering_ at her, and it was unnerving. Wilfred was talking into his phone, and the Doctor ran back to Jenny, pushing her behind him.

"Fify seconds and counting," the Master laughed. "You're going to _love_ this."

"What is it, hypnotism?" the Doctor demanded. "Mind control? You're grafting your thoughts inside them, is that it?"

"Oh, that's way to easy!" he chuckled. "No, no, no. They're not going to think like me, they're going to _become_ me. And... zero."

A blast of energy rippled out from the Gate, sending the Doctor stumbling backwards into Jenny and Jenny to nearly trip over some piece of debris on the floor.

"You can't have," the Doctor gasped, looking at the blurred faces of all the humans in the room.

"Doctor!" Wilf called from the box, although the Doctor basically ignored him again as everybody's faces turned into the Master. Jenny trembled slightly. Wilf's expression changed from urgency to anger. "What is it?" What have you done, you monster?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the Master in the Gate said with a sickly smile. "Are you talking to me?"

"Or to me?" Naismith-Master asked.

"Or to me?" Abigail-Master asked.

"Or to me?" asked one of the soldiers.

"Or to us?" said three of the guards in unison, flipping their visors up to reveal three Masters.

"_Breaking news,"_ laughed a Master on a television screen. _"I'm everyone. And everyone is me!"_

"The human race was always your favorite," the Master hissed. "But now, there is no human race. There is only the Master race."

And Jenny couldn't help but feel terrified as he laughed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_And so it came to pass, on Christmas Day, that the human race did cease to exist. But even then, the Master had no concept of his greater role in events. For this was far more than humanity's end._

"_This was the day upon which the whole of creation would change forever. This was the Time Lords returned. For Gallifrey!"_

"_For Gallifrey!"_

"_For victory!"_

"_For victory!"_

"_For the end of time itself!"_

"_For the end of time itself!"_


	12. The End of Time Part 2

For what seemed to be the umpteenth time since she had been tied up, Jenny wished her father let her carry some sort of weapon, a pocket knife in her boot or _something_ that might help them. But no. They had been captured by the Master(s), and while Jenny had taken out nearly a dozen before they pinned her down, it still wasn't enough. There were six billion of them, and she wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen next. Another doubly unfortunate event was that after she had managed to knock out so many of the guards, she was locked up tighter than her father and Wilf, strapped into a chair with stiff leather straps everywhere, cutting into her wrists and ankles and overall just incredibly uncomfortable.

The Doctor was bound and gagged, strapped into a wheeling chair, while Wilf was simply tied and cuffed to a normal chair next to him.

"Now then," the Master said with a grin. "I've got a planet to run. Is everybody ready?"

"_Six billion, seven hundred and twenty seven million, nine hundred and forty nine thousand, three hundred and thirty eight versions of us awaiting orders,"_ a Master announced from the screen.

"_This is Washington,"_ one Master said. _"As President of the United States, I can transfer all the United Nations protocols to you immediately, putting you in charge of all the Earth's defenses."_ Oh, well wasn't that lovely? Obama was turned into the Master.

"_UNIT HQ, Geneva reporting,"_ another Master said. _"All under your command, sir."_

"_And this is the Central Military Commission here in Beijing,"_ yet another Master announced. _"with over two point five million soldiers. Present arms!"_ Behind him, rows upon rows of soldiers snapped to attention.

"Enough soldiers and weapons to turn this planet into a warship," the Master smirked. "Nothing to say, Doctor?" The Doctor just looked at him. "What's that? Pardon? Sorry?"

"You let him go, you swine," Wilf snapped with a glare. The Master rolled his eyes.

"Oh, your dad's still kicking up a fuss," he muttered.

"Yeah, well, I'd be proud if I was." Jenny, despite being gagged as well, smiled at Wilf.

"Hush, now," he sighed. "Listen to your Master."

_Ring-ring. _

"...But that's a mobile," the Master said after a pause.

"Yeah, it's mine," Wilf said awkwardly as Jenny glanced at her father. "Let me turn it off."

_Who wouldn't have changed?_ she asked.

_I don't know._

"No, no, no, no, no," he said quickly. "I don't think you understand. Everyone on this planet is _me_. And I'm not phoning you, so who the hell is that?"

"It's nobody," Wilf said, now somewhat worried. "I tell you, it's nothing." He gave a nervous laugh. "Probably one of those ring-back calls." The Master ignored him, searching through his pockets before pulling out an old-style revolver.

"Ooo, and look at this!" he said with a grin. "Good man!"

The gun was discarded on the floor, and then the Master frowned as he pulled out a phone.

"Donna," he said after a pause, and Jenny's blood turned to ice. "Who's Donna?"

"She's no one," Wilf said. "Just leave it." The Master glanced between the three before flipping the phone open. Donna's voice emerged from the speakers.

"_Gramps, don't hang up! You've got to help me. I ran out, but everyone was changing."_

"Who is she?" the Master asked softly. "Why didn't she change?"

"Well, it was this thing the Doctor did," Wilf explained, stumbling over his words. "The Metacrisis."

"Oh, he loves playing with Earth girls," the Master groaned.

"_Are you there?"_

"Find her," the Master snapped to the screen, ignoring the phone.

"_Are you still there? Can you hear me?"_

"Say goodbye to the freak, Granddad," the Master laughed, shoving the phone next to Wilf's ear. Jenny made a deep growling noise in the back of her throat, muffled by the gag.

"Donna, get out of there!" Wilf shouted. "Just get out of there. I'm telling you, run!"

"_What do I do?"_

"Run, sweetheart! Run for your life!"

"_There's more of them."_

"Donna? What's happening? Are you still there?"

"_They're everywhere."_

"Look, I'm telling you to run, Donna. Just run."

"_It's not just them. I can see those things again. Those creatures. Why can I see a giant wasp?"_ Jenny cast her father a panicked look, tugging against the leather bindings in silent struggles.

"Donna, don't think about that. Donna, my love, don't!"

"_And it hurts. My head."_ Jenny doubled her protests, but the Master was ignoring her. _"It keeps getting hotter, and hotter, and hotter and hotter and hotter!"_

A burst of static, and then the phone went dead. Jenny went limp as Wilf shouted into the dead phone, but she frowned as her father grinned behind the strap covering his mouth. The Master glared, snapping the phone shut and ripping the strap away.

"That's better," the Doctor said with a grin. "Hello. But really, did you think I'd leave my best friend without a defense mechanism?" Despite having a respiratory bypass system, as all Time Lords and Ladies did, and therefore being able to hold her breath for at least ten or fifteen minutes, she suddenly found it easier to breathe.

"What happened?" Wilf asked, looking at the Doctor.

"She's alright," he assured, not wanting to give too much away to the Master. "She's fine, I promise. She'll just sleep."

"Tell me, where's your TARDIS?" the Master demanded.

"You could be so wonderful." His eyes flashed.

"_Where is it?_"

"You're a genius," the Doctor continued. "You're stone cold brilliant, you are. I swear, you really are. But you could be so much more. You could be _beautiful_. With a mind like that, we could travel the stars. It would be my honor. Because you don't need to own the universe, just to see it. To have the privilege of seeing the whole of time and space, that's ownership enough."

"Would it stop then? The noise in my head?" Jenny blinked; his voice had changed from the harsh, maddened tone he typically used to quiet, nearly helpless.

"I can help."

"I don't know what I'd be without that noise."

"I don't know what I'd be without _you_." They sat in silence for a bit.

"Yeah."

_What noise?_ Jenny asked through the link, idly wondering if the Master could hear them. She didn't think so, but she wasn't sure. _What does he mean?_ The Doctor glanced over at her, but before he could voice her question, Wilf did it for him.

"It began on Gallifrey, as children," the Master said quietly. Jenny blinked again, she had expected him to lash out at them. "Not that you'd call it childhood." This part was said with a sneer. "More a life of duty. Eight years old. I was taken for initiation, to stare into the Untempered Schism."

"What does that mean?" Wilf asked.

"It's a gap in the fabric of reality," the Doctor added. "You can see into the Time Vortex itself. And it hurts."

"They took me there in the dark," the Master hissed. "I looked into time, old man, and I heard it calling to me. Drums. The never ending drums. Listen to it, listen."

"Then let's find it," the Doctor pleaded. "The three of us, we can help you." The Master paused, but there was still madness gleaming in his eyes.

"Except-" he started before pausing again. "Oh. Oh, wait a minute. Oh, yes. Oh, that's good."

"What? What is?" the Doctor asked.

"The noise exists within my head and now within _six billion _heads. Everyone on Earth can hear it." His tone was now akin to reverence. "Imagine. Oh. Oh, _yes_."

Jenny flinched as he flickered blue, his skeleton appearing with the eyes plainly visible in their sockets, but the Master flinched as well when he turned back to normal.

"The Gate wasn't enough," he murmured sadly. "You're still dying."

"This body was born out of death," the Master snarled. "All it can do is die. But what did you say to me, back in the wasteland? You said someone was coming."

"I said something was returning," the Doctor corrected. "I was shown a prophecy. That's why I need your help."

"But what if I'm a part of it?" The deranged grin was back in full force. "Don't you see? The drumbeat is calling from so far away, from the end of time itself. And now it's been amplified _six billion times_. Triangulate all those signals, I could find it's source. Oh, Doctor. That's what your prophecy was. Me!"

He slapped the Doctor across the face, and Jenny made another muffled noise of protest. Wilf looked as though he was going to take the gun on the floor and shoot the Master dead.

"Where's the TARDIS?" he demanded.

"No, stop," the Doctor pleaded. "Just think." The Master ignored him.

"Kill him," he ordered. An armed guard stepped forwards and turned to Wilf. "I need that technology, Doctor. Tell me where it is, or the old man is dead."

"Don't tell him," Wilf begged.

"I'll kill him right now!" Jenny struggled against her restraints, the leather rubbing her skin raw.

"Actually, the most impressive thing about you, is that after all this time, you're still bone dead stupid," the Doctor said lightly. Jenny blinked.

"Take aim," the Master ordered.

"You're got six billion pairs of eyes, but you still can't see the obvious, can you?"

"Like _what_?"

"That guard is one inch too tall."

The guard flipped the weapon around and slammed the butt of the rifle into the Master's head, knocking him out on the floor. He pulled his visor up to reveal a familiar spiky head.

"Oh my god, I hit him," he gasped. "I've never his anyone in my life."

The female Vinvocci ran in.

"Well, come on," she said urgently. "We need to get out of here, fast."

She untied Wilf and then moved over to Jenny while the other struggled on freeing the Doctor.

"God bless the cactuses!" Wilf exclaimed.

"That's cac_ti_," the Doctor corrected.

"That's racist!" the man exclaimed.

"Come on!" the woman repeated, although she had only managed to free the gag around Jenny's mouth. "We've got to get out."

"There's too many buckles and straps!" he protested. "And you aren't doing much better."

"Just wheel them," she sighed.

"No, no, no, get me out," the Doctor said quickly. They ignored him. Wilf picked the gun up off the floor. Jenny just sighed as she was pushed towards the door. "No, no, no, don't. Don't!"

They ignored him.

"Which way?" the male Vinvocci asked.

"This way," his partner replied.

"No, no, no, no, no, the other way. I've got my TARDIS." The Doctor was ignored.

"I know what I'm doing," she muttered.

"You might want to listen to him..." Jenny said. She was also ignored.

"Not the stairs. Not the stairs!"

Finally, they paused for breath in the basement.

"Worst. Rescue. Ever!" the Doctor snapped. "Just- just stop and listen to me!"

The Master ran in with armed guards. Jenny glared at them. She knew he had been her father's friend once... but now... surely even the Doctor had to see the _wrongness_ of it all. This was genocide!

"Gotcha," he smirked.

"You think so?" the female Vinvocci asked, pressing a button on her wristwatch. They disappeared in a flash.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Now let me out!" the Doctor demanded as they reappeared on a spaceship somewhere. Jenny glanced out the viewport – Earth was beautiful from above.

"Don't say thanks, will you," one of them muttered.

"He's not going to let us go," the Doctor countered. "Just hurry up and get me out! Come on."

"All right!" the woman said, starting to unhook the straps. The other Vinvocci helped Jenny get free while Wilf stared out the viewport in awe.

When Jenny and the Doctor were finally free, he zapped the teleport controls with the sonic before demanding to know where the flight deck was.

"But we're safe," the woman said. "We're a hundred thousand miles above the Earth."

"And he's got every single missile on the planet ready to fire," Jenny pointed out.

"Good point."

The trio ran out, and Jenny smiled as she gently led Wilf away from the viewport.

"But we're in space!" he exclaimed, looking back at Earth.

"Yep," she agreed. "It's lovely, isn't it?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"...sooner we get back to Vinvocci space, the better," the woman was saying when Wilf and Jenny entered.

"We're not leaving," the Doctor snapped, sonicking the flight controls. The entire ship went dark, and the two Vinvocci glared.

"No sign of any missiles," the woman muttered. "No sign of anything. You've wrecked the place!"

"The engines are burnt out," the man said. "All we've got is auxiliary lights. Everything else is kaput. We can't move, we're stuck in orbit."

"Thanks to you, you idiot!" The woman huffed and strode out the door. The Doctor sat down on a step next to Jenny.

"But I know you two, though," Wilf said optimistically. "I bet you've got a plan haven't you? Eh?" He paused as neither of them answered. "Come on. You've always got a trick up your sleeve. Nice little bit of the old Doctor flim-flam, sort of thing? Eh?" Still, no response from either of them. "Oh, blimey."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Dad?" Jenny called as she wandered down one of the corridors. Wilf had left after a few minutes of silence, and Jenny had gone to see if she could find another viewport to look out. Looking at the stars always helped her think. Unfortunately, she wasn't entirely sure where she was anymore. "Hello? Dad, can you hear me? 'Cause I think I'm lost."

"And yet you are found."

She spun around, taking a half-step backwards and dropping into a fighting stance. Behind her was an old woman, dressed in simple white. Her hair might have been black, but it was now streaked with gray, and her eyes made her look far older. She'd seen eyes like that before.

"You're a Time Lord," she breathed. While she had no proof, it was this gut feeling, this woman was _different_ than other people. "Well, Time Lady. I think. But Dad said that they all died?"

"You have spirit, child," the woman said kindly. "With such spirit, the Doctor's life may be spared." Jenny stiffened even more, if that was possible.

"What do you mean? Carmen and the Ood just said that a song was ending, and something was returning. My dad isn't going to die."

"Events are closing," the woman continued. "The day is almost upon us. But tell me, young soldier. Have you taken arms?" Jenny stared.

"No. I'm not supposed to. I can't. Everyone has a choice when it comes to killing, and I don't want to be a killer."

"Such spirit," the woman repeated. "This is the Doctor's final battle. At the end of his life, he must stand at arms, or lose himself and all this world to the end of time."

"But he doesn't carry guns. My dad, he never would. He just doesn't. But- Who are you?"

"I was lost, so very long ago."

There was a clang from somewhere deep inside the ship. Jenny turned on instinct, but when she looked back, the woman was gone.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"You getting this placed fixed up?" Jenny asked lightly, coming into the room. Her father glanced up at her, feeling something was wrong through the bond, but didn't say anything.

"Just trying to fix the heating," he replied.

"Oh, I've always dreamt of a view like this," Wilf sighed, looking out a viewport. "Hee hee, I'm an astronaut." Jenny chuckled at his excitement, moving to his side. "It's dawn over England, look. Brand new day." A pause. "My wife's buried down there. I might never visit her again now. Do you think he changed them, in their graves?"

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said, not looking up.

"No, not your fault," he said dismissively. "Oh, 1948. I was over there." Jenny looked down at where he was pointing. "End of the Mandate in Palestine. Private Mott. Skinny little idiot I was. Stood on this rooftop, in the middle of a skirmish. It was like a blizzard, all them bullets in the air. The world gone mad." He paused, looking at them. "But you don't want to listen to an old man's tales."

"I was born six months ago, trained as a soldier," Jenny said. Wilf blinked.

"I'm older than you," the Doctor added.

"Get away," Wilf scoffed.

"No, really, I'm nine hundred and six."

"What, really, though?"

"Yeah." Wilf slowly shook his head.

"Nine hundred years," he breathed. "We must look like insects to you."

"I think you look like giants," the Doctor said with a warm smile. They two sat down next to where the Doctor was messing around with wires.

"Listen, I- I want you to have this. I've kept it all this time, and I thought-"

"No." Jenny looked at the revolver in Wilf's hand with mixed expressions. _He must stand at arms, or lose himself and all the world to the end of time_.

"No, but if you take it, you could-"

"No," the Doctor repeated. "You had that gun in the mansion. You could have shot the Master there and then." Wilf shrugged.

"Too scared, I suppose."

"I'd be proud," the Doctor murmured.

"Me too," Jenny agreed.

"Of what?"

"If you were my dad," the Doctor clarified with a smile. Jenny nodded her agreement.

"That'd make you my granddad," she said. "And I'd be proud of that." Wilf gave them a watery smile.

"Oh, don't start," he said. "But you said, you were told he would knock four times, and then you'd die. Well that's him, isn't it? The Master? That noise in his head? The Master is going to kill you."

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Jenny snapped, but the Doctor covered her hands.

"That's how the Master started," he said, using his other hand to push the revolver away. "It's not like I'm innocent. I've taken lives. I got worse. I got _clever_. Manipulated people into taking their own. Sometimes I think a Time Lord lives to long. I can't. I just can't."

"If the Master dies, what happens to all the people?" Wilf asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor lied, but Jenny could guess what the answer was.

"Doctor," Wilf pressed. "What happens?"

"The template snaps," he sighed.

"What, they go back to being human?" Wilf asked. Jenny nodded weakly. "They're alive, and human. Then don't you dare, sir. Don't you _dare_ put him before them. Now you take this." He held out the revolver again, his voice growing hoarse as emotions threatened to overwhelm. "That's an order, Doctor. Take the gun. You take the gun and save your life. And please don't die. You're the most wonderful man and I don't want you to die."

"Dad," Jenny whispered. "Please. Save your life."

The Doctor looked at the revolver.

"Never."

"_A star fell from the sky."_

They all jumped as the Master's voice echoed through the ship, coming from every speaker, every piece of hardware.

"_Don't you want to know where from? Because now it makes sense, Doctor." _One of the Vinvocci was talking, but Jenny wasn't listening. _"The whole of my life. My destiny. The star was a diamond. And the diamond was a Whitepoint Star. And I have worked all night to sanctify that gift."_

Jenny flinched as memories flashed through her mind, not her own. Fields of grass, a dome, a classroom, thoughts and words to faint for her to catch.

"_Now the Star is mine. I can increase the signal and use it as a lifeline. Do you get it now? Do you see? Keep watching, Doctor. This should be spectacular. Over and out."_

"What's he on about?" Wilf asked shakily. "Doctor, what does that mean?"

"A Whitepoint Star is only found on one planet. Gallifrey." The name was spat out as though it left a vile taste in his mouth, but Jenny flinched again as more thoughts flashed past. The same fields, the dome, children laughing as they zipped about through the streets, a specific group coming up more often than not, all smiling and laughing over forgotten words. "Which means it's the Time Lords. The Time Lords are returning."

"But isn't that good?" Jenny asked. "I know you miss them, so isn't that a good thing?"

Her hearts sank as the Doctor grabbed Wilf's revolver and ran.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They ran into the flight room, a high-pitched beeping coming from the speakers in beats of four. The Doctor instantly started running about, working on bits and pieces from the dead console.

"But you said your people were dead," Wilf said. "Past tense."

"Inside the Time War," he said, not looking up. "And the whole War was Timelocked. Like, sealed inside a bubble. It's not a bubble, but just think of it as a bubble. Nothing can get in or out of the Timelock, except something that was already there."

"The signal," Jenny whispered.

"If they can follow the signal, they can escape before they die," he agreed.

"But I still don't get it," Jenny continued. "They're alive, isn't it a good thing? Can't we all go out and have a party or something? You've talked about them like they're wonderful."

"That's how I choose to remember them, the Time Lords of old, Jen. But then they went to war. An endless war, and it changed them. You've seen my enemies. The Time Lords are more dangerous than any of them."

"Time Lords, _what_ lords?" the woman asked. "Anyone want to explain?"

"What are your names?" Jenny asked. "I'm getting tired of referring to you as Cactus 1 and Cactus 2." The woman glared.

"Addams," she snapped. "And he's Rossiter."

"Right, Addams," the Doctor said. "This is a salvage ship, yes? So you've got asteroid lasers, yes?"

"Yeah, but they're all frazzled," Rossiter said. The Doctor pushed a lever down, and two doors slid open.

"Consider them unfrazzled," he said happily. "Now, Addams, I'm going to need you on navigation. Rossiter, technical support. Jenny, in the laser pod." Jenny nodded. "Wilfred."

"Yeah?" Wilf asked.

"Laser number two. The old soldier's got one more battle."

"This ship can't move!" Addams repeated. "It's _dead_!"

"Fix the heating?" the Doctor scoffed, pulling another two levers, and the ship powered up. Jenny laughed.

"But now they can see us," Addams pointed out.

"Oh, yes!" he exclaimed, bounding towards the wheel. Jenny slipped into the laser pod, and Wilf went into the other. In the background, the Doctor and Addams continued to argue.

"Hey!" Wilf called to her. "How does this thing work?"

_Twenty-first century Vinvocci salvage ship. Mark II lasers, automatic tracking systems, high-density beams at microsonic speed..._

"Tracking's automatic," she called back, ignoring the programming inside her head. "Just deploy the trigger on the joystick."

"We've got incoming!" Addams shouted from the flight deck.

"Open fire!" the Doctor shouted as the ship skimmed the ocean, dodging missiles. Wilf let out a shout of surprise as the automatic targeting system spun him around in circles, and Jenny let out a whoop as two missiles exploded into dust.

"And there's more," Addams was saying. "Sixteen. Oh, and another sixteen."

"We just need to make it to the mansion," Jenny muttered to herself, doing a 360 as the chair spun upside-down to lock onto more missiles. Three exploded, then two more, and then another three. More kept coming, and the front viewscreen was blown inwards as it fractured into pieces on the flight deck. They redoubled their efforts.

"Dad?" Jenny called as the mansion grew closer. "Are we going to stop?" No response, and she was getting nothing through the bond. "Dad?"

Just as she thought they were going to crash, the nose of the spaceship lifted upwards, and they soared over the mansions sprawling grounds.

Jenny and Wilf ran up from the laser pods, but the Doctor was gone. Jenny swore in Gallifreyan – a few choice words her dad probably didn't know she knew, but she'd heard him say the same thing plenty of times when the TARDIS was being confrontational.

"Just turn it round," Wilf said as Addams took the controls. "Land it!"

"We are not going in there," she replied. Jenny glared.

"Listen to me, you overgrown plant," she snapped. "That's my father. He's saved the universe a hundred times over, and I know for a fact that you owe him your lives. So land this ship _now_. Land it!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor could hardly raise his head. He couldn't grab the revolver, he couldn't stand up, he could hardly _breathe_. But he managed to look up. The Lord President of Gallifrey stood in the arch, flanked by two other Time Lords in the traditional garb of the High Council and two more, hiding their faces in shame.

"My Lord Doctor," Rassilon sneered. "My Lord Master. We are gather for the end."

"Listen to me," the Doctor hissed, still trying to get to his feet. "You can't!"

"It is a fitting paradox that our salvation comes at the hands of our most infamous child," Rassilon continued. The Master smirked, and the Doctor would have rolled his eyes if it didn't hurt so much.

"Oh, he's not saving you. Don't you realize what he's doing?" The Master took a step forwards.

"Hey, no, hey!" he said. "That's mine. Hush. Look around you." Now he was directing his words at the Time Lords in the Gate, motioning with his hands. "I've transplanted myself into every single human being. But who wants a mongrel little species like them, because now I can transplant myself into every single Time Lord!" Rassilon glared. "Oh, yes, Mister President sir, standing there all noble and resplendent and decrepit. Think how much better you're going to look as me."

In response, the Lord President held up his hand, the one with a metal gauntlet. It glowed an eery blue, and everyone's head started to blur. The Master shook his head.

"No, no, don't. No, stop it! No, no, no, don't!" he shouted.

"On your knees, mankind," Rassilon snarled. Slowly, the terrified people obeyed, no longer the Master. The Master himself paused before speaking.

"No, that's fine, that's good, because you said salvation," he pointed out. "I still saved you. Don't forget that."

"The approach begins," Rassilon said. The Master blinked.

"Approach of what?"

The Doctor, who had shifted into a crouch, glared.

"'Something is returning'," he quoted. "Don't you ever listen? That was the prophecy. Not some_one_, some_thing_."

"What is it?" the Master asked.

"They're not just bringing back the species," the Doctor said. "They're bringing back Gallifrey. Right here, right now."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny swore again as the ground started to shake, but her anger quickly turned to fear as she looked up. There was another planet in the sky, but... It was huge. It nearly blotted out the sun, taking up almost half the sky, and it was covered in molten reds and oranges and charred black.

_Gallifrey_.

She grabbed Wilf's sleeve and they continued towards the estate.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The people ran from the room as everything started to shake and fall apart around them.

"But I did this," the Master said. "I get the credit. I'm on your side." He turned to the Doctor. "But this is fantastic, isn't it? The Time Lords restored.

Jenny and Wilf ran into the room unnoticed, pausing as they saw a technician stuck in the control booth. Wilf went to help him, and Jenny ran to her father's side, hardly sparing a glance at the Time Lords in the gate.

"You weren't there in the final days of the War," the Doctor said. "You never saw what was born. But if the Timelock's broken, then everything's coming through. Not just the Daleks, but the Skaro Degradations, the Horde of Travesties, the Nightmare Child, the Could-Have-Been King with his army of Meanwhiles and Never-weres. The War turned into hell. And that's what you've opened, right above the Earth. _Hell is descending._"

"My kind of world," the Master smirked. Jenny glared at him.

_Are you okay, Dad?_ she asked.

_Sure, fine. Well, not really._

"We will initiate the Final Sanction," Rassilon said. "The end of time will come at my hand. The rupture will continue until it rips the Time Vortex apart." Even the Master looked horrified at this.

"That's suicide," he gasped.

"We will ascend to become creatures of consciousness alone," the President continued. "Free of these bodies, free of time, and case, and effect, while creation itself ceases to be."

"You see now?" the Doctor asked, looking at the Master. "You see? This is what they were planning. I had to stop them."

"Then take me with you, Lord President," the Master said, stepping forwards. "Let me ascend into glory."

Rassilon looked at him in disgust.

"You are diseased, albeit a disease of our own making. No more." A wave of his gauntlet, and Jenny was thrown backwards into a wall, crumpling to the floor and remaining motionless on the ground.

The Doctor was on his feet in an instant, aiming the revolver at Rassilon.

"Choose your enemy well," Rassilon smirked. "We are many. The Master is but one."

"But he's the President," the Master pointed out. "Kill him, and Gallifrey could be yours."

The Doctor spun to point the revolver at the Master.

"He's to blame, not me," the Master exclaimed before frowning. "Oh, the link is inside my head. Kill me, the link gets broken, they go back." He smirked. "You never would, you coward. Go on, then. Do it."

The Doctor turned to face the President.

"Exactly," the Master continued. "It's no just me, it's him. He's the link! Kill him!"

"The final act of your life is murder," Rassilon goaded. "But which one of his."

From behind Rassilon, the woman in white slowly lowered her hands, meeting the Doctor's eyes. He stared, mind frozen, suddenly numb, but a single thought drifted past his mind. He spun back around to the Master.

"Get out of the way."

A gunshot rang out, destroying the Whitepoint in its holder.

"The link is broken," the Doctor snarled. "Back into the Time War, Rassilon! Back into hell."

"You'll die with me, Doctor," Rassilon said as the light from the Gate grew brighter.

"I know."

The woman covered her face again, as Rassilon aimed the gauntlet at the Doctor.

"Get out of the way."

The Doctor dove out of the way just before the Master sent a bolt of energy flying at Rassilon, who staggered under the impact.

"You did this to me!" he roared. "All of my life!" Another bolt, and Rassilon clung to his staff in an attempt to stay upright. "You made me! _One! Two! Three!"_ His skull was flickering. _"FOUR!"_

Rassilon was forced to his knees. The light from the gate was too blinding to look into, and the Doctor and Wilf covered their eyes, the Doctor stumbling backwards onto the floor.

When they lowered their hands, it was over.

"I'm alive," he gasped. "I've- There was- I'm still alive."

_Knockknockknockknock. Knockknockknockknock. Knockknockknockknock. Knockknockknockknock._

"They've gone, then?" Wilf asked, the Doctor looking over at him. "Yeah, good-oh. If you could let me out?"

"Yeah," the Doctor said weakly.

"Oh, what about Jenny? Is she okay?" The Doctor looked over at his daughter. She was alive, she was fine, if a bit battered and unconscious.

"She's alive." Wilf nodded.

"Okay, that's good. Erm, this thing seems to be making a bit of a noise."

"The Master left the nuclear bolt running," he sighed. "It's gone into overload. All the excess radiation gets vented inside there. Vinvocci glass contains it. All five hundred thousand rads, about to flood that thing." Wilf blinked.

"Oh. Well, you better let me out, then." The Doctor shook his head.

"Except it's gone critical. Touch one control and it floods. Even this would set it off." He held up the sonic.

"I'm sorry," Wilf said.

"Sure."

"Just leave me." The Doctor nodded.

"Okay. Right then, I will." He started to move around the room, pacing and doubling back, his voice steadily becoming hysteric. "You had go go in there, didn't you? You had to go and get stuck, oh yes. Because that's who you are, Wilfred. You were always this. Waiting for me all this time."

"No, really, just leave me," Wilf repeated. "I'm an old man, Doctor. I've had my time."

"Well, exactly," the Doctor said bitterly. "Look at you. Not remotely important. But me? I could do so much more. _So much more!_" He slammed his hands down on the table, swiping everything off it in a fit of rage. "But this is what I get! My reward!" Everything suddenly seemed to deflate, all the anger, all the rage, all the sadness, it all just disappeared from him, leaving nothing but a lingering sadness. "Oh. Oh. Live too long."

Wilf started shaking his head as the Doctor walked towards him.

"No," he said. "No, no, please, please don't. Don't! Please, don't!"

The Doctor opened the door to the booth. Jenny stirred, awakened because of the noise, trying to piece together her blurred vision.

"Wilfred," the Doctor said as Jenny's eyes widened. "It's my honor."

"Dad!" Jenny screamed as the Doctor quickly opened the door before stepping in, locking himself inside and letting Wilf out. Wilf ran outside as the box flooded red, staring in shocked horror as he screamed, sinking into a ball on the ground, hands clawing at his hair.

The power shut down, and everything was silent. After a pause, the Doctor stood up, using the panel for balance. Jenny wiped a few tears from her face.

"Dad?" she whispered.

"Hi," the Doctor croaked out.

"Still with us?" Wilf asked. He nodded.

"The system's dead. I absorbed it all. Whole thing's kaput." He pushed on the door, frowning as it easily swung aside. "Oh. _Now_ it opens. Yeah."

"Well, there we are then," Wilf said with a weak smile. "Safe and sound. Mind you, you're both in a hell of a state. You've got some battle scars, there." The Doctor rubbed his face in exhaustion, but Jenny looked as though she might crumple back to the ground as his wounds disappeared. "But they've- Your face. How'd you do that?"

"It's started," the Doctor whispered.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They landed outside the Noble's home. Jenny was leaning against one of the y-beams for support inside, while the Doctor and Wilf stepped out.

"Oh, she's smiling," the Doctor groaned, seeing Sylvia. "As if today wasn't bad enough." Wilf rolled his eyes. "Anyway, don't go thinking this is goodbye, Wilf. I'll see you again, one more time. We both will."

"What do you mean?" Wilf questioned. "When's that?"

"Just keep looking. We'll be there."

He started to go back into the TARDIS, but Wilf had one final question.

"Where are you going?" he asked. The Doctor paused and turned.

"To get my reward."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Martha and Mickey ran through an abandoned factory as several more explosions occurred behind them.

"I told you to stay behind," Mickey gasped as they hid behind a pillar.

"Well, you looked like you needed help," Martha shrugged. "Besides, you're the one who convinced me to go freelance."

"Yeah, but we're being fired at by a Sontaran," Mickey said. "A dumpling with a gun. And this is no place for a married woman."

"Well then," Martha smirked. "You shouldn't have married me." Mickey returned the grin, and they pulled out a map.

"If we go in here, and down to the factory floor, and down past that corridor," he said, "then he won't know that we're here."

Martha wasn't paying attention, instead looking upwards.

"Mickey," she said. He didn't respond. "Mickey!" she repeated. They both looked up, seeing the Doctor and Jenny on the catwalk, standing over an unconscious Sontaran. Jenny was holding a hammer.

"Hey!" Mickey shouted with a wave, but they turned and walked away, leaning on each other for support.

The couple hugged as the TARDIS dematerialized in the distance.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Luke Smith, Sarah Jane's son, was talking on the phone.

"That was the maddest Christmas ever, Clive," he was saying. "Mum still doesn't know what happened. She got Mister Smith to put out this story saying that Wi-Fi went mad all across the world, giving everyone hallucinations. I mean, how else do you explain it? Everyone with a different face-"

He started to cross the road without looking, unknowingly walking straight into the path of an oncoming car. The Doctor ran across the street, pulling him away from the car and onto the side of the road.

"But it's you!" Luke exclaimed. "You're-"

The Doctor gave no response, walking back to where Jenny was leaning against the TARDIS.

"Mum!" Luke shouted, glancing at the street before running across. "Mum!"

Sarah Jane ran out of the house.

"What?" she asked. "What is it?"

"It's the Doctor," he said. "It's him."

Sarah Jane looked across the street, but the Doctor just gave a silent wave.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

In a bar, Jack Harkness was staring into an empty glass. A Raxacoricofallapatorian wandered past. A Graske was jabbering in some foreign language, and little Adipose hopped past Jack before taking a misstep and falling off the bar. Jack watched it with mild amusement, but his eyes were dead. A Judoon growled as it walked past, and over the radio, and old song was playing.

"_I'm a country girl, I ain't seen a lot, but you came along and my heart went pop. You took a little street car to my heart..."_

The barman put a piece of paper in front of Jack.

"From the two over there," he said, pointing in a direction before walking away. Jack looked up to see the Doctor and Jenny.

"_...and an apple of love fell off my apple cart. You looked at me, my heart began to pound. You weren't the sort guy I thought would stick around..."_

He unfolded the paper. _His name is Alonso._ Jack blinked, and turned it over. _PS: Have a drink on us._

A young man in naval uniform sat down next to Jack in exhaustion. Jack looked over at him before saluting the two. Jenny gave a mock-salute in return. A Judoon walked past the door, and they were gone.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"No, it's not just a story, no," Verity was saying. "Every word of it's true. I found my great-grandmother's diary in the loft, and she was a nurse in 1913, and she fell in love with this man called John Smith. Except he was a visitor from another world. She fell in love with a man from the stars, and she wrote it all down."

She signed the book. _A Journal of Impossible Things, by Verity Newman_. A fob watch was on the cover, and Verity was the spitting image of Joan Redfern.

"And who's it for?" she asked as the next book was presented.

"The Doctor."

"To, the Doctor," she said, signing it with a flourish. "Funny, that's the name he used..." She trailed off, looking up at him in surprise. He looked back with ancient eyes. Jenny was standing off by another shelf. These were her father's goodbyes.

"Was she happy, in the end?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," Verity said slowly. "Yes, she was." A pause. "Were you?"

The Doctor walked away.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny was piloting the TARDIS now, the Doctor hardly being able to stand. Of course, he wasn't showing it, and he hadn't asked her to do anything, but he hadn't objected. Despite the pain she was in, she would help him.

"Dad," Sylvia said, seeing the Doctor and Jenny standing next to the TARDIS, just behind a hedge, out of view from the others at the wedding.

"And here you are, eh?" Wilf said with a grin. "Same old face. Didn't I tell you you'd be all right? Oh! They've arrested Mister Naismith. It was on the news. Crimes undisclosed. And his daughter. Both of them, locked up. But I keep thinking, Doctor, there's one thing you never told me. That woman. Who was she?" Jenny held out an envelope.

"We wanted to give you this," she said. "Wedding present. Thing is, we don't carry money, so we popped back in time. Dad borrowed a quid off of a lovely man. Geoffrey Noble, his name was. Have it, he said. Have that on me." Sylvia was nearly in tears as they accepted the gift.

The two retreated towards the TARDIS while Sylvia and Wilf gave the envelope to Donna.

"A lottery ticket?" she asked incredulously. "What a cheap present? Who was that?" Wilf and Sylvia glanced at each other in surprise. "Still, you never know. It's a triple rollover this week. I might get lucky. Oi, Shaun! Come on, we're on a tight schedule. Oxtail soup at two thirty."

And Wilf, in tears, gave the Doctor one final salute.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny stayed in the TARDIS while the Doctor made one final farewell.

"You all right, mate?" Rose asked with a smile.

"Yeah," the Doctor said weakly, leaning against the wall behind him.

"Too much to drink?"

"Something like that," he agreed. She laughed.

"Maybe it's time you went home," she suggested.

"Yeah," he said again.

"Anyway, happy New Year!" she said brightly.

"And you." A pause. "What year is this?" She laughed again.

"Blimey, how much have you had? 2005, January the first."

"2005," the Doctor repeated, nodding. "Tell you what. I bet you're going to have a _really_ great year." Rose smiled again.

"Yeah?" she said. "See you." With another smile, she jogged back towards her house. The Doctor lurched forwards, but fell to his knees in the snow. Jenny ran out of the TARDIS, looping one of his arms over her shoulder.

"We will sing to you, Doctor," Ood Sigma said from the shadows. It was as if their strength began to increase. A haunting, lilting melody flowed through their minds, and together they walked through the falling snow. "The universe will sing you to your sleep."

As the doors shut behind them, Sigma left a final message.

"_This song is ending, but the story never ends."_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny set the TARDIS controls so they would fly away from Earth. The Doctor's hands began to glow, the regeneration energy catching up to the radiation, overflowing and bursting to be released. Jenny took cover behind the console, but met her father's eyes one last time.

"I don't want to go," he whispered.

Golden light flew everywhere, exploding outward with such force. Fires sprang up through the metal grating, wires sparked and fell from the ceiling, something on the console exploded. A y-beam toppled over as the Doctor screamed before lurching forwards. His hands were in motion instantly.

"Legs," he mused. "I've still got legs. Good. Arms. Hand. Ooo, fingers, lots of fingers. Ears, yes, eyes, two, nose, I've had worse." He spun around in a circle, grinning at Jenny. "Chin, blimey. Hair." He paused. "I'm a girl!" Then he felt his adam's apple and sighed. "No. No. I'm not a girl." Pulling his hair back into his face, he groaned. "And still not ginger. What do you think, Jen?"

Jenny wasn't entirely sure what to make of this tall, gangly man wearing a face younger than hers, hair flopping into his face and a rather large chin.

"You're still my dad?" she asked. He grinned.

"Oh, yes!" he exclaimed. "And something else. Something important. I'm- I'm- I'm-"

_Bang!_

The room lurched to one side, and Jenny grabbed onto the console for support.

"Ha! Crashing!"

And as they plummeted towards Earth, it didn't really matter to Jenny that this was completely, utterly, entirely _mad_. This was her father, that was what really counted.

"Geronimo!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**Right. So. Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers, and hello to everybody else! Hope you enjoyed this. I'll be going on into Smith's era, and this is officially staying as one story now.**

**Read and review, and keep being amazing!**


	13. The Eleventh Hour

The TARDIS was flying out of control, spinning in every way possible and doing a few things Jenny hadn't realized _were_ possible.

"Little help!" the Doctor shouted through clenched teeth as he tried to keep a hold on the sonic, at the same time trying to keep a hold on the doors so he didn't tumble into open air.

"Bit busy!" Jenny shouted in reply, clinging to a y-beam close to the ceiling. "And possibly stuck!" The Doctor groaned, heaving himself upwards a bit more so that he could hold the sonic screwdriver in one hand. He pointed it at the controls.

A lever sparked and flew downwards, causing the TARDIS to lurch and he was dangling from the door frame by one hand as they flew past Big Ben. Jenny couldn't help the moan that pushed past her lips as she fell from the ceiling to the floor.

The Doctor finally climbed inside, slamming the doors shut behind him and leaning against them in exhaustion and slight relief that it was finally-

They both gave shouts of protest as the TARDIS did another loop-the-loop, rattling them around like they were items in a blender once more.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"You know, it would be easier if you handed _me_ the rope and then I could help you climb out," Jenny shouted down the hallway from her position on the time rotor. She was lying on her back on the round surface, utterly exhausted and in more than a bit of pain. She'd be fine with some rest, but it didn't look like that would be happening any time soon.

In response, a rope was thrown upwards, a grappling hook attached to the end. It snagged on part of the console, and while the TARDIS made a shriek of protest, the rope held.

"It would be!" the Doctor shouted from somewhere deep inside the TARDIS. "But I appear to be fine now. I just need to find my way out of the swimming pool first."

"You told me you were in the library," Jenny called, breathing heavily as the small fires still going heated up the room.

"I am!"

It was a testament to how used to this life she had grown, that she didn't even question this sort of statement anymore.

What seemed to be an eternity later, the Doctor appeared next to Jenny.

"Are you okay?" he asked in concern, taking a seat next to her on the time rotor.

"I'll be fine," she said with a shrug. "Superior physiology, just give me a day and I'll be fine. Actually, give me twelve hours. Superior physiology plus all the extras from the soldier programming." He patted her hand gently.

"I'll go and see where we are, okay? You just stay put."

"Believe me, I'm not going anywhere," she replied as he stood up, balancing on the glass and snapping his fingers. The doors flew open and with a laugh he threw the grappling hook upwards. It landed outside the doors with a thud, the rope held, and he continued to climb.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Could I have an apple?" he asked, looking at the young, red-haired girl in front of him. "All I can think about. Apples. I _love_ apples. Maybe I'm having a craving! That's new, never had cravings before."

He paused in his rambling, partly to climb up on the edge of the TARDIS, partly because he could hear Jenny laughing hysterically through the bond, and partly because he just realized exactly how far he had climbed up as he looked down.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Look at that!"

"Are you okay?" the girl asked, taking in his ragged appearance.

"Just had a fall," the Doctor said dismissively. "All the way down there, right to the library. Hell of a climb back up. Then again, Jenny fell off a y-beam all the way down to the floor, not to mention the walls. Numerous times. She's worse off than I am. But still. Library."

"You're soaking wet," the girl pointed out.

"I was in the swimming pool."

"You _said_ you were in the library." He shrugged.

"So was the swimming pool." The girl paused, frowning slightly.

"Are you a policeman?" she asked. The Doctor looked at her curiously.

"Why?" he asked. "Did you call a policeman?"

"Did you come about the crack in my wall?" she countered, matching question for question. He frowned.

"What crack-?"

The question was cut off by a cry of pain, and he fell off the TARDIS and onto the ground with a shout.

"Are you all right, mister?" the girl asked with concern. He sat back up, sitting on his knees.

"No, I'm fine," he said. "It's okay. This is all perfectly norm- _ah._" The girl took a half-step backwards as wisps of golden energy flew from his mouth.

"Who are you?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know yet," he replied, looking down at his hands, which were glowing. "I'm still cooking. Does it scare you?"

She shook her head. "No, it just looks a bit weird."

Again, he could hear his daughter's laughter in the back of his mind.

"No, no, no," he said quickly. "The crack in your wall. Does it scare you?"

"...Yes," she finally said. The Doctor hopped to his feet, causing the girl to jump and take another step back.

"Well then, no time to lose," he exclaimed. "I'm the Doctor. Do everything I tell you, don't ask stupid questions, and don't wander off. And I do apologize, I appear to have broken your shed."

He promptly turned and walked into a tree.

"Are you all right?" the girl repeated, shining a light down at him.

"Early days," he said, looking up at her. "Steering's a bit off."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"If you're a doctor, why does your box say 'police'?" the girl asked, handing the Doctor an apple. He didn't respond, biting into the apple before spitting it across the room.

"That's disgusting," he said, glaring at the apple. "What is that?"

"An apple," the girl said.

"Apple's rubbish," he replied. "I hate apples." She blinked.

"You said you loved them."

"No, no, no, I like yoghurt. Yoghurt's my favorite, give me yoghurt."

She went back to the fridge and handed him a small container. He slurped about half the contents down before that, too, went flying across the room to join the apple.

"I hate yoghurt," he spat, making a face. "It's just stuff with bits in it."

"You _said_ it was your favorite," the girl repeated, somewhat exasperated.

"New mouth, new rules," he said as though it should be obvious. "It's like eating after cleaning your teeth. Everything tastes wrooaaaAH!" He stumbled backwards, clutching at his chest.

"What is it?" the girl asked. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _me_?" he asked, looking at her incredulously. "It's not my fault. Why can't you give me any decent food? You're Scottish, fry something."

_Dad, be nice to the poor girl,_ Jenny said.

"I am being nice!" he defended. The girl came back into the room, handing him a towel to dry off his hair.

"Were you talking to someone?" she asked.

"My daughter," he replied. The girl glanced around before getting out a pan and bacon.

"But there's nobody here," she said as the slabs of meat started to sizzle.

"She talks to me in my head."

The girl chose not to comment on this, remaining quiet even when he spat the bacon onto the plate.

The same thing happened when she gave him beans ("Beans are evil. Bad, bad, beans."), and the bread and butter was thrown out the window.

"We've got some carrots," the girl said, looking into the fridge. The Doctor pushed her out of the way, rummaging through.

"Carrots?" he echoed. "Are you insane?"

_Dad! This incarnation is incredibly rude. Sorry, but... you are! _

"Way to be supportive, Jen," he said with an eyeroll.

"So... You have a daughter who talks in your head?" she asked for clarification.

"Yup!" he said, popping the 'p'. "Now. I need, I need... I need fish fingers, and custard!"

_Oh, that's just gross._

"Wait until you regenerate, Jen, I can't _wait_ to see what odd things you'll start doing."

The girl just gave him an odd look.

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The Doctor contentedly dipped a fish finger into a large bowl of custard before drinking from the bowl itself, giving him a custard mustache. The girl gave a faint smile as she ate ice cream straight from the container.

"Funny," she commented. The Doctor wiped the mustache away.

"Am I? Good. Funny's good. What's your name?"

"Amelia Pond," the girl said proudly. He grinned.

"Oh, that's a brilliant name," he exclaimed. "Like a name in a fairytale."

_I concur._

"Jenny agrees with me," he added as an afterthought. "Are we in Scotland, Amelia?"

"No," Amelia said glumly. "We had to move to England. It's rubbish."

"So what about your mum and dad, then? Are they upstairs? Thought we'd have woken them by now."

"I don't have a mum and dad," she said, her tone growing even more morose. "Just an aunt." The Doctor offered a sympathetic smile.

"I don't even have an aunt," he replied. "Just a daughter."

"You're lucky."

"I know," he lied. "So, your aunt, where is she?" Amelia shrugged.

"She's out."

"And she left you all alone?" he asked, his voice rising at someone leaving a child so young alone at night.

"I'm not scared," Amelia defended, and he laughed.

"'Course you're not," he agreed. "You're not scared of anything. Box falls out of the sky, man falls out of a box, man eats fish custard, and look at you! Just sitting there. So you know what I think?" They both leaned forwards slightly.

"What?" she asked.

"Must be one hell of a scary crack in your wall."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"What do you think, Jen?" the Doctor asked as he examined the crack. It was about four feet long, jagged and crooked and vaguely in the shape of a smile.

_I don't know, I can't see it, Dad._

He sighed. "It's about three or four feet long, and very weird."

_...That's what you want me to go on?_

"Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey, Jen! Now hush, I'm working."

Amelia gave him an odd look, but slowly stepped forwards.

"I used to hate apples," she mused, holding out one of the fruit, "so my mum put faces on them."

The Doctor smiled, taking the apple and turning it over in his hand.

"She sounds good, your mum," he replied quietly, tucking the apple into his pocket. "I'll keep it for later." She smiled back and the Doctor ran back to the wall, examining the crack. "This wall is solid and the crack doesn't go all the way through it," he announced. "So here's a thing." A breeze, hardly noticeable, danced through the air. "Where's the draft coming from?"

He stepped back and scanned it with the sonic before looking at the results.

"Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey," he muttered. "You know what the crack is?"

"What?" Amelia asked hesitantly.

"It's a crack."

_Really, Dad?_

"Hush, Jen. But I'll tell you something funny. If you knocked this wall down, the crack would stay put because the crack isn't in the wall."

Amelia frowned.

"Where is it then?" she asked.

"Everywhere. In everything. It's a split in the skin of the world. Two parts of space and time that never should have touched." He leaned forwards, pressing his head to the wall. "Sometimes, can you hear-?"

"A voice," Amelia finished. "Yes."

"Prisoner Zero?" he asked.

_Who's Prisoner Zero?_

"I don't know, Jen," he muttered.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped," Amelia answered. "That's what I heard." She shifted slightly on her feet, unsure, but spoke again anyway. "What does it mean?"

"It means that on the other side of this wall, there's a prison and they've lost a prisoner," he replied. "And you know what that means?"

Amelia looked up at him. "What?"

"You need a better wall."

He could practically hear Jenny's groan.

"The only way to close the breach is to open it all the way. The forces will invert and it'll snap itself shut. Or-"

He quickly cut himself off. Best not go there. Definitely best not go there. No.

"Or what?" Amelia demanded. He turned to look at her.

"You know when grown-ups tell you everything is going to be fine and you think they're probably lying to make you feel better?"

_Most definitely._

"Yes," Amelia replied, her tone making it clear what she thought of that.

"Everything is going to be fine."

The Doctor took Amelia's hand, using the other to point the sonic screwdriver at the crack in the wall. Amelia peered out from behind his leg.

It opened wider, forming a jagged oval, if such a thing was possible. The room was briefly flooded with light before it dimmed, and the Doctor could make out the faintest outline of a prison in the darkness behind the crack.

"_Prisoner Zero has escaped,"_ a deep voice said, resonating through the room. _"Prisoner Zero has escaped."_

"Hello?" the Doctor called, then jumped back along with Amelia as a blue eye appeared out of nowhere, twitching as it looked around.

"What's that?" Amelia whispered, stepping behind the Doctor's legs once more.

In response, not from the Doctor, but from the floating eye, a jet of light sped towards the Doctor's pocket. He doubled over with a shout, but quickly closed the crack before anything else could shoot out at him.

"There, you see?" he gasped, straightening up. "Told you it would close. Good as new."

"What's that thing?" the young girl demanded, tugging on the Doctor's hand. "Was that Prisoner Zero?"

_Prisoner Zero's guard, more likely. It wouldn't have told us it was planning to escape, now would it? And that light wasn't it either; no guard would allow their prisoner to waltz by like that._

"I agree with Jen," he replied. "It was Prisoner Zero's guard, and it left me a message." He pulled the psychic paper out of his pocket and grinned at Amelia. "Psychic paper, takes a lovely little message. 'Prisoner Zero has escaped,'" he read out. "But why tell us? Unless-"

He stopped abruptly yet again.

_Unless what?_ Jenny demanded.

"Unless what?" Amelia questioned.

"Unless Prisoner Zero escaped through here," he breathed, finishing the sentence. "But he couldn't have. We'd know."

He rushed into the hallway, looking around rapidly. Amelia ran out after him.

"It's difficult," he muttered. "Brand new me, nothing works yet. But there's something I'm missing." He paused, every so slowly starting to turn. "In the corner... of my eye..."

The Cloister Bell began to toll from the TARDIS, audible even from where they were.

The Doctor tore into the garden.

"No, no, no, no, no, no- Don't swear, Jen! Where did you even here that? -no, no, no, no, no!"

As soon as he was within arms distance he started tying the ropes he had used to climb out of the TARDIS together.

"I've got to get back in there," he explained quickly. "The engines are phasing. It's going to burn!"

"But it's just a box," Amelia protested, somewhat out of breath. "How can a box have engines?"

He stopped, forcing himself not to snap at the perceived slight against his ship as he looked at the young Scottish girl.

"It's not a box," he said as though it should be obvious, throwing some more ropes over his shoulders. "It's a time machine."

"What, a real one?" she scoffed. "You've got a real time machine?"

"Not for much longer if I can't get her stabilized," he muttered. "Five minute hop into the future _should_ do it."

_Should being the operative word._

_Oh, hush, Jen._

There was a moment of silence as he kept working. The Cloister Bell had stopped.

"Can I come?" Amelia asked hesitantly.

"Not safe in here," he replied. "Not yet. Five minutes. Give me five minutes. I'll be right back."

"People always say that," she muttered. The Doctor turned and knelt down in front of her, looking her in the eyes.

"Am I people?" he asked, taking her hands. "Do I even look like people?" He paused. "Don't answer that, Jen. Trust me, Amelia Pond. I'm the Doctor."

Having latched the ropes onto the door handles of the TARDIS, he climbed up onto the edge of the base before jumping in.

"_Geronimo!"_

The doors swung shut.

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Jenny raised an eyebrow as she dragged herself into a sitting position, peering over the edge of the time rotor.

"Jen, start the dematerialization process!" came his faint shout. "I've fallen back into the swimming pool."

Groaning, she pulled a lever and the ship ricocheted into the Time Vortex.

Fortunately, and yet unfortunately for both Jenny and the Doctor, this meant that gravity was reestablished. Jenny landed on the metal grating with a thud and a groan, and she could here a far-off splash and Gallifreyan cursing. She'd have told him he was being a bad example, except it _hurt_.

But she'd be fine. She could push through this.

She had only just gotten to her feet when the console began sparking and smoking. More fires started up, serving to create only more smoke, and she could hardly see her father when he tore into the room.

"I've figured it out!" he shouted before starting to cough.

They landed the TARDIS through some miraculous feat, and blindly stumbled out, the Doctor clutching a handkerchief to his face and rushing towards the house in a shaky run.

"Amelia!" he shouted. "Amelia, I worked out what it was!" he was shouting as he staggered through the garden. Jenny simply groaned and pulled the doors shut, effectively keeping the smoke inside, before she sank to the ground.

She could push through this.

Nevertheless, it took her time to stagger back to her feet again, and the first thing she noticed was the shed in the garden. She distinctly remembered her father saying that he had broken the shed, yes?

And it was daylight, which she probably should have noticed. Ugh, she was getting slow.

Shed was old, a few years at least. They had promised Amelia five minutes, except with the position of the sun it was obvious that they had overshot by a good several hours. But the _shed_, it was old. There was no way that a brand new shed would have been built by this time, and impossible that one so old would be built. Granted, there could have been another shed, except there weren't any destroyed structures.

Okay, definitely overshot by a few hours. Probably more.

Wrinkling her nose, she scraped some of the moss off the wood with her fingernail and sniffed it delicately. She was _not_ going to, under _any_ circumstances, lick something to find out where/when/what/how old it was.

Her eyes shot to the sky at a loud voice.

"_Attention Prisoner Zero. The human residence is surrounded. Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated."_

She swore, berated herself for doing so, then ran through the garden before slamming a fist against the locked door in frustration. Did he seriously lock the door behind him?

"_Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated."_

"Dad!" she shouted. No response. She _really _needed to get a sonic of her own.

"_Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated."_

She stumbled backwards as the door flew open, her father running out and a tall woman with red hair quickly following. Jenny was fairly sure that police didn't wear their uniforms quite so short.

"Kissogram?" he asked as he grabbed Jenny by the arm and started pulling her along.

"Yes, a kissogram," the woman said. "Work through it."

"Why'd you pretend to be a policewoman?" he demanded.

Okay, pretending to be a policewoman, actually a kissogram... Someone who kissed people, she assumed?

"You broke into my house," the woman snapped. "It was this or a French maid. What's going on?" Neither of them answered, Jenny moving back to the shed while the Doctor ran for the TARDIS doors.

"An alien convict is hiding in your spare room disguised as a man and a dog, and some other aliens are about incinerate your house," he explained quickly. "Any questions?"

"Yes," she said.

"Yes," Jenny replied at the same time.

"Me too," he agreed, then banged his hand against the blue paneling. "No, no, no, no!" he shouted. "Don't _do_ that, not now!" Jenny frowned. "It's still rebuilding, not letting us in."

She sighed.

"_Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated."_

"Come on," the woman said, glancing around nervously.

"Dad," Jenny said, a feeling of dread forming in the pit of her stomach as she glanced between the not-new shed and the red-haired woman.

"What?" he asked.

"The shed," she said slowly. "It's old. Maybe a decade. You smashed it to pieces."

"That was not my fault!" the Doctor protested, but ran forwards and licked the wood. Jenny groaned.

"I was trying to avoid that," she muttered.

"So there's a new one," the woman said, continuing to look around nervously. "Let's go."

"Yeah, except it's not new, it's old," the Doctor said, grimacing at the taste. "It's more than a decade, it's twelve years. I'm not sixth months late, I'm twelve years."

The woman looked back at the house. "He's coming."

"You said six months," he repeated, looking at her. "Why did you say six months?"

"We've got to go," the woman repeated.

"No, this is important," Jenny said. "This is really important, because-"

"Why did you say six months?" the Doctor cut in. Jenny glared, feeling the dread increase, only to have her suspicions be confirmed as the woman shouted, her English accent switching into Scottish as she turned on the Doctor.

"_Then why did you say five minutes?!"_ she shouted. The Doctor froze.

"What?"

"Come on," she muttered, grabbing him by the wrist. Jenny sighed. For once she really didn't want to be running, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

"What?" he repeated, unaware he was being dragged.

"Come on, Dad," Jenny replied.

"_What?_"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"You're Amelia," he said as they hurried down the village street. Judging by his tone, he was still in shock.

"And you're late," Amelia replied, not looking at him.

"Amelia Pond," he repeated. "You're the little girl." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm Amelia, and you're late."

"What happened?" he asked.

"Twelve years," she said tersely. Jenny desperately wished the TARDIS could have landed properly, just once. She chose to ignore what they would have done with a seven year-old girl. She certainly couldn't have come with them, she was too young. Jenny, at least, was physically older and had training. Not to mention, well, _Time Lord_.

"You hit me with a cricket bat!" he protested.

"Twelve years," she repeated.

"A cricket bat!" he echoed, mimicking her.

"Twelve years and four psychiatrists."

He paused before hurrying to catch up with her again.

"Four?" he asked incredulously.

"...I kept biting them," she muttered in response.

"Why?" Jenny asked. Amelia glanced at her.

"They said you weren't real," she mumbled. "And that if you were you'd need the psychiatrists since you had a daughter who talked to you in your head." Jenny raised an eyebrow.

"Is that really how you explained it?" she asked. Her father shrugged.

"It's the truth."

They froze at an ice cream van.

"_Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated."_

It was coming from the speakers at the van.

"No, no, no, come on," Amelia groaned. "What? We're being staked out by an ice cream van." The Doctor ran over, leaving Jenny to stumble along behind as Amelia trailed after. The Scottish woman turned to look at her.

"You okay?" she questioned. Jenny shrugged.

"Dad mentioned me getting knocked around a lot, yeah?" she asked. "Fell from the ceiling to the floor, floor to the wall to the other wall to the console, and don't even ask about what happened before that. But it's not that bad, really."

They glanced around as more responses of _Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence_ began to occur all around them, from every speaker, every iPod, every phone.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Amelia asked. Jenny wordlessly pointed to where he had jumped a fence and was running towards someone's house.

"It's not your house they want to incinerate," she said as they ran after him. "It's the world."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor was standing next to an elderly woman, who was talking to him about the television.

"We're doing a special on television faults in this area," he was saying as they ran in. "Also crimes. Let's have a look."

He snatched the remote from the woman's hands and collapsed onto the couch, flipping through channel after channel.

"I was just about to phone," the woman explained before looking up and greeting Amelia with a wide smile. "Oh, hello, Amy dead. Are you a policewoman now?" Amelia -Amy?- shrugged.

"Well, sometimes," she said.

"I thought you were a nurse," the woman said. Amelia -_Amy, it was Amy?-_ shrugged again, rather awkwardly this time.

"I can be a nurse."

"Or actually a nun?"

Jenny stepped in quickly.

"Woman of many talents, Amy is," she said with a smile. The other woman backed off, then, but the Doctor looked up in confusion.

"Who's Amy?" he asked. "I thought you were Amelia." Amy shrugged.

"Now I'm Amy."

"Amelia Pond," he said. "That was a great name."

Her voice turned cold.

"Bit fairytale."

"I know you, don't I?" the elderly woman asked the Doctor. "I've seen you somewhere before." Jenny shook her head.

"Highly unlikely."

"What sort of job's a kissogram?" the Doctor asked.

"I go to parties, and I kiss people," she explained, somewhat self-consciously. "With outfits. It's a laugh."

"You were a little girl five minutes ago," he pointed out.

"You're worse than my aunt," she groaned.

"Probably," Jenny agreed.

"Oi!"

"_Repetez. Le Prisonnier Zero wird der menschliche,"_ came over the radio.

"Okay, so it's everywhere, in every language," the Doctor muttered, running to the window and looking out at the sky. "They're broadcasting to the whole world."

"What's up there?" Amy asked as he looked up. "What are you looking for?"

"Okay, planet this size, two poles, your basic molten core?"

"Forty percent fission blast, medium sized starship, twenty minutes," Jenny responded promptly, glancing at a man walking in with a laptop bag.

"Twenty minutes to what?" Amy asked.

"Are you the Doctor?" the man asked suddenly. The Doctor paused and looked at him while the elderly woman smiled gleefully.

"He is, isn't he?" she exclaimed. "He's the Doctor! The Raggedy Doctor! All those cartoons you did when you were little. The Raggedy Doctor and his own imaginary friend, it's him!"

"Shut up," Amy mumbled.

"Cartoons?" the Doctor said, as though the word was unfamiliar.

"Gran, it's him, isn't it?" the man asked, growing more excited by the second. "It's really him!"

"Jeff, shut up," Amy snapped. "Twenty minutes to what?"

"The human residence," the Doctor quoted. "They're not talking about your house, they're talking about the planet."

"Jenny told me," Amy said. "Well, not the twenty minutes, but-"

The Doctor was already running out of the house, Jenny limping after him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"What is this place?" the Doctor asked as they walked down the middle of a road. "Where are we?"

"Leadworth," Amy replied.

"Where's the rest of it?" Jenny asked.

"This is it."

"Ah."

The Doctor was a bit more confused by that response.

"Is there an airport?" he asked.

"No."

"A nuclear power station?"

Amy gave a derisive laugh. "No."

"Even a little one?"

"No."

"Nearest city?"

"Gloucester, half an hour by car."

"We don't have half an hour," he muttered. "Do we have a car?"

"No."

"Well that's good," he said sarcastically. "Fantastic, that is. Twenty minutes to save the world and I've got a _post office_! And it's _shut._" He paused. "What is that?"

Amy followed as he ran over to a small, roped off pond.

"It's a duck pond," Amy said like it should be obvious.

"Why aren't there any ducks?"Amy floundered for a moment, lost as to what to say.

"I don't know, there's never any ducks," she replied.

"Then how do you now it's a duck pond?" he countered.

"It just _is_," Amy said. "Is it important, the duck pond? Are ducks aliens or something?"

"Duck ponds don't always have ducks, just like ice skates aren't actually made out of ice," Jenny replied, then quickly grabbed her father's arm in order to keep him from falling down as he clutched at his chest, wisps of golden vapor escaping from his mouth.

"Not all of them," the Doctor gasped in response to Amy. "And why would I know? This is too soon, I'm not ready. Not done yet."

They stopped talking as the sky suddenly dimmed. Jenny glanced up along with everyone else as the sun disappeared before reappearing as... well, odd.

"What's wrong with the sun?" Amy asked.

"Nothing," the Doctor replied. "You're looking at it through a force field. They've sealed off your upper atmosphere, now they're getting ready to burn the planet."

Jenny stopped looking at the sky and chose to groan as she saw people flocking outside.

"Here we are. The end of the world straight down a video phone," she muttered. The Doctor glanced at her.

"Don't be cynical, Jen, that's my job." Amy glanced between the two of them.

"So she's the daughter who talks to you in your head?" Jenny rolled her eyes.

"He shouldn't have explained it like that, but he did," she replied. "Yeah, he's my dad."

"You look older than him."

"He's nine hundred and six years old, I'm about nine months old," she added. "It's weird." Amy nodded slowly, but then she looked between the two again, almost frantically.

"This isn't real, is it? This is some kind of... big wind-up."

"Why would we wind you up?" the Doctor asked.

"You told me you had a time machine."

"And you believed him," Jenny pointed out.

"Then I grew up." The Doctor groaned.

"Oh, you never want to do that," he said, rather loudly, but then he started spinning wildly, trying to look in every direction at once. "No. Hang on, shut up, wait. I've missed it. I saw it and I missed it. What did I see? I saw, what did I see? I saw, I saw, I saw..."

He grinned and looked over at Amy.

"Okay, twenty minutes, I can do it. Twenty minutes, the planet burns. Run to your loved ones and say goodbye, or stay and help me."

Amy glared before speaking. "No."

"Sorry?" he asked in confusion.

"No!"

Grabbing him by the tie and sending an elbow into Jenny's stomach (which shouldn't have stopped her but these injuries were thoroughly _ridiculous_) so she couldn't follow, Amy dragged the Doctor over to a car, shutting the tie in the door and grabbing the keys from the owner, locking it.

"Are you out of your mind?" the Doctor asked.

"Who are you?" Amy demanded, glaring. Jenny straightened up and walked over.

"You know who we are," she replied, slightly out of breath. Amy shook her head.

"No, really, _who are you_?"

"Look at the sky!" the Doctor protested. "End of the world, twenty minutes."

"Talk quickly," was her response.

"Amy, I am going to need my car back," the driver said slowly, glancing between the three.

"Yes, in a bit," she replied, not looking at him. "Now go and have coffee."

"Right," he said with a confused nod. "Yes."

The Doctor sighed before reaching into his pocket.

"Catch."

Amy caught the apple, slowly turning it over in her hand. The smiley face was carved into the side, it was still fresh.

"I'm the Doctor, and Jenny's my daughter. We're time travelers. Everything I told you twelve years ago is true. I'm real. What's happening in the sky is real, and if you don't let me go right now, everything you've ever known is over."

"I don't believe you." Amy didn't sound sure.

"Twenty minutes," Jenny said quietly. "Believe us for twenty minutes. Look at the apple, Amy, fresh as the day you gave it to him. And it's the same one, you know it is."

"Amy," the Doctor pleaded. "Believe for twenty minutes."

Amy unlocked the car.

"What do we do?" she asked. He grinned.

"Stop that nurse."

_You do realized you could have just ripped the tie or loosened it enough to slip out, right?"_ Jenny asked. The Doctor gave the mental equivalent of a shrug.

_She needed to believe_.

They ran onto the grass, the Doctor grabbing Rory's phone as soon as he got the chance.

"The sun's going out, and you're photographing a man and a dog," he asked, looking at the phone. "Why?"

"Amy," the man said, confused, glancing between everyone.

"Hi!" Amy said with a smile, taking the man's hand in her own. "This is Rory. He's a- friend."

"Boyfriend," Rory corrected.

"Kind of boyfriend," Amy countered.

The Doctor continued to look at the phone, turning it every which way, flipping through the pictures.

"Man and dog," he repeated. "Why?" Rory stared for a moment before his eyes widened, almost comically.

"Oh my god, it's him," he gaped.

"Just answer his question, please," Amy pleaded.

"It's him, though," Rory repeated. "The Doctor. The Raggedy Doctor." Amy sighed.

"Yeah, he came back."

"But he was a story," Rory said. "He was a game, the Raggedy Doctor and Jen."

The Doctor, finally getting fed up with being ignored, grabbed Rory by the collar of his shirt.

"Man and dog. Why? Tell me _now_," he demanded. Rory struggled for words through his shock.

"Sorry," he finally stammered. "Because he can't be there. Because he's-"

"-in a hospital, in a coma," the Doctor said along with him.

"Midnight," Jenny muttered. The Doctor winced.

"Sorry, Jen," he replied. "But I knew it." He let go of Rory and started to pace. "Multiform, you see? Disguise itself as anything, but it needs a life feed. A psychic link with a living but dormant mind."

The man standing at the edge of the road by the telephone booth barked. Jenny flinched. Prisoner Zero. Right. Man and dog.

A spaceship zoomed down from the sky, and everyone either panicked or began taking pictures of it. It was rather like a snowflake, save for the fact that it was massive, made of metal, crackling with energy, and had a large blue eye floating around in the middle of it that seemed to be shining a spotlight across the town.

"See, that ship up there is scanning this area for non-terrestrial technology," the Doctor explained. "And nothing says non-terrestrial like a sonic screwdriver."

He smugly held the sonic up in the air, pressing the button. A high-pitched whirring noise rang out. Streetlights began to explode one by one, all the car alarms went off, and some poor woman was rushing out of control on her electric wheelchair. A fire engine roared past, sirens blaring, whilst two firemen tried to catch up to it.

"I think someone's going to notice, don't you?"

Behind them, a red phone booth exploded, shortly followed by the screwdriver. He dropped it to the ground with a shout and a cry of pain.

"Look, it's going," Rory pointed. The eye seemed to twitch, like it had heard something but couldn't find the source, and then it took off. Jenny slowly shook her head, then frowned at the same time as Amy as they saw Prisoner Zero essentially melt down a storm drain.

"Dad!" she snapped, getting his attention. "The drain. It just... melted and went down the storm drain." He sighed.

"Well of course it did."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So that thing, that hid in my house for twelve years?" Amy asked. She and Rory were standing around the drain, while Jenny took a break on the curb and the Doctor rocked back and forth on his heels.

"It's a multiform," Jenny replied. "Twelve years, probably a pit stop, considering it can live for millennia."

"So how come you two show up again on the same day that lot do?" she demanded. "The same minute!"

"They're looking for him, but they followed us," the Doctor explained. "Saw me through the crack, got a fix, they're only late because I am."

"What's he on about?" Rory asked slowly. The Doctor, as though just recognizing that Rory was there, jumped to his feet.

"Nurse Boy, give me your phone," he ordered, holding out his hand.

"How can he be real?" Rory continued. "Either of them?"

"Phone," the Doctor repeated. "Now. Give me."

Rory handed him the phone. Jenny peered over his shoulder, but she could still hear Rory talking to Amy.

"They were a game," he was saying. "We were kids. You made me dress up as him and Mels as my imaginary daughter."

"These photos are all the coma patients?" the Doctor interrupted.

"Yeah," Rory answered.

"No," the Doctor disagreed. Rory paused. "They're all the multiform. Eight comas, eight disguises for Prisoner Zero."

"There's a dog in a coma?" Jenny asked in disbelief.

"Simple psychology," the Doctor groaned. "Simple, easy psychology, Jen. You should know this! Coma patient dreams he has a dog, Prisoner Zero gets a dog- Laptop!" He quickly turned to Amy. "Your friend, what was his name? Not him, the good-looking one." Rory rolled his eyes.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Jeff," Amy answered. Rory sighed, rolling his eyes again.

"Oh, _thanks_," he repeated.

"He had a laptop in his bag," the Doctor continued. "A laptop. Big bag, big laptop. I need Jeff's laptop." He started across the field before quickly turning back around. "You two, get to the hospital. Get everyone out of that ward. Clear the whole floor. Phone me when you're done. Jen, with me!"

Jenny gave an exasperated sigh, taking off after her father.

"It's rather rude to just take someone's phone," she commented, glancing down at Rory's phone.

"Eh."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jeff was lounging on his bed in a rather pasty pink room, using his laptop when the Doctor barged in.

"Hello," the Doctor said with a smile. "Laptop. Gimme." Jeff abruptly tried to hide the laptop away.

"No, no, no, no, wait-"

"It's fine. Give it here."

And so Jenny walked in to see her father quickly closing down the majority of documents on Jeff's laptop, whilst Jeff sighed in defeat.

"Blimey, get a girlfriend, Jeff," the Doctor said as Jeff's gran walked in.

"What are you doing?" she asked the trio. Jenny gave a reassuring smile.

"The sun's gone wibbly, so we're going to fix it," she assured. "Somewhere out there, there's a big video conference with all the experts in the world panicking in organized chaos, and that man there is going to contact them."

"Here they are!" the Doctor said with a grin. "All the big boys. NASA, Jodrell Bank, Tokyo Space Center, Patrick Moore-"

"I like Patrick Moore," Jeff's gran said happily. The Doctor glanced up at her.

"I'll get you his number. But watch him, he's a devil."

"You can't just hack in on a call like that!" Jeff exclaimed. Jenny shook her head.

"It's not going to stop him, just trust me on that."

"_Who are you?"_ one of the men on screen asked.

"_This is a secure call, what are you doing here?"_

"Hello," the Doctor smiled. "Yeah, I know you should switch me off, but before you do, watch this."

He quickly started typing on Rory's phone, the laptop still sitting there, and Jenny, who still wasn't exactly the best when it came to technology (although science was fascinating), hadn't the faintest idea as to what he was doing.

"_Sir, what are you doing?"_ another voice asked.

"I'm writing a computer virus," he said as though it were normal. Then again... "Very clever, super fast, and a tiny bit alive, but don't let on. And why am I writing it on a phone? Never mind, you'll find out." The people continued to stare. "Okay, I'm sending this to all your computers. Get everyone who works for you sending this. Email, text, Facebook, Twitter, Bebo, radar dish, whatever you've got. Any questions?"

"_Who's your lady friend?" _Patrick Moore asked. The Doctor's looked darkened.

"If you mean Jenny, back off. If you mean Jeff's lovely Gran- Patrick, behave."

"_What does this virus do?"_

"It's a reset command, that's all," he said dismissively. "It resets counters. It gets in the wifi and resets every counter it can find. Clocks, calendars, everything with a chip will default at zero at the exact same time. But yeah, I could be lying, why should you trust me? I'll let my best man explain."

A pause.

"Jeff, you're his best man," Jenny mumbled. Jeff stared.

"What?" The Doctor sighed, tilting the laptop screen down.

"Listen to me," he said slowly. "In ten minutes, you're going to be a legend. In ten minutes, everyone on that screen is going to be offering you any job you want. But first, you have to be magnificent. You have to make them trust you and get them working. This is it, Jeff, right here, right now. This is when you fly. Today's the day you save the world."

"Why me?" Jeff asked faintly. The Doctor clapped him on the shoulder.

"It's your bedroom. Now, come on, Jen! Allons- Ooo, don't like that one much anymore..."

And Jenny was again chasing after her father.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"_Doctor?"_

"Jenny, actually," Jenny said into Rory's phone. "What is it?"

"_We're at the hospital, but we can't get through."_

"Look in the mirror!" the Doctor shouted. Jenny quickly relayed the message before hanging up, not really wanting to need to bail her father out of jail with the apocalypse in twenty minutes.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The phone rang again not two minutes later, but by that point they were safely on the road. The Doctor refused to let Jenny drive, since apparently nine months was a bit below the legal age.

"_Are you coming?"_ Amy asked. _"You're going to need a car."_

"Dad's commandeered a vehicle," Jenny said tightly as they took a tight corner.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The phone rang yet again, and the Doctor waved for Jenny to answer.

"Are you in?" she asked.

"_Yep,"_ Amy said. _"But so's Prisoner Zero."_

"You need to get out of there!" the Doctor shouted.

Silence.

"Amy?" Jenny asked. "Amy, Rory, what's happening?"

A crash.

"Amy, talk to me!" the Doctor snapped.

"_We're in the coma ward, but it's here," _Amy said frantically. _"It's getting in."_

"Which window are you in?" the Doctor asked as they approached the hospital at a breakneck pace.

"_Sorry?"_

"Which window?" he repeated.

"_First floor, on the left, fourth from the end,"_ she said after a pause. The Doctor grinned, and Jenny braced herself for impact.

"Jen, send a text!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They clambered up through the window, avoiding the glass shards scattered everywhere and hopping lightly to the floor. Well, the Doctor came lightly, Jenny stumbled as she landed, but the Doctor was already walking forwards.

"Right!" he said, looking around. Amy and Rory were warily backing away from a woman holding her daughters' hands. "Hello. Am I late? No, three minutes to go, still time."

"Time for what, Time Lord?" the mother asked. Jenny frowned. _Prisoner Zero, perhaps?_ She scanned the patients with a quick glance, nodding when she saw a woman with a picture frame of two young girls lying comatose.

"Take the disguise off," the Doctor said, and while still smiling, his tone was dangerous. "They'll find you in a heartbeat. Nobody dies."

"The Atraxi will kill me this time," Zero said with a shrug. "If I am to die, let there be fire."

"Okay," the Doctor muttered. "You came to this world by opening a crack in space and time. Do it again. Just leave." The woman raised an eyebrow.

"I did not open the crack."

"Somebody did," Jenny retorted.

"The cracks in the skin of the universe, don't you know where they came from?" Zero asked. "Either of you?" Her confusion moved to glee at their blank expressions, and her voice changed to the sing-song tone of a child. "The Doctor and his daughter in the TARDIS don't know! Do-on't kno-ow, do-on't kno-ow." It changed back to that of an adult. "The universe is cracked," Zero said coldly. "The Pandorica will open. Silence will fall."

As Jenny pondered the warning, the Doctor grinned.

"And we're off!" he exclaimed. "Look at that. Look at that!"

The clock behind them read _0:00_. Zero looked unimpressed.

"Yeah, I know, just a clock," he shrugged. "Whatever. But do you know what's happening right now? In one little bedroom, my team are working. Jeff and the world. And you know what they're doing? They're spreading the word all over the world, quantum fast. And do you know what the word is?"

"The word... is Zero," Jenny finished with a smirk. The Doctor laughed.

"Now, me, if I was up in the sky in a battleship, monitoring all Earth communications, I'd probably take that as a hint," he said. "And if I had a whole battle fleet surrounding the planet, I'd be able to track a simple old computer virus to its source in, what, under a minute?"

"For them it'd probably take a few, considering that they aren't you and don't have the mental capacity of a Time Lord. They're a floating eye," Jenny cut in. The Doctor sent a flash of pride over the link. "The source, by the way, is that phone there."

The Doctor held up Rory's phone, and there was a bright light streaming through the windows. "Oh! And I think they just found us!"

"The Atraxi are limited," Zero said in a condescending tone. "While I'm in this form, they'll still be unable to detect me. They've tracked a phone, not me."

"Yeah, but this is the good bit," the Doctor laughed. "I mean, this is my favorite bit. Do you know what this phone is full of?" He continued at Zero's blank look. "Pictures of you. Every form you've learned to take, right here. Ooo, and being uploaded the final score _is_, no TARDIS, no screwdriver, two minutes to spare! Who da man?"

Amy just shook her head while Prisoner Zero gave him a look that was apparently inter-galactic verbal communication for _you have __got__ to be kidding me._ Jenny just sat down on an empty bed, dropping her head into her hands. The Doctor slowly lowered his arms in the awkward silence.

"Oh, I'm never saying that again," he muttered. "Fine." Zero nodded, then smirked.

"Then I shall take a new form." This caused the Doctor to laugh.

"Oh, stop it," he scoffed. "You know you can't. It takes months to form that kind of psychic link." Zero's smirk grew wider.

"And I've had _years_."

Amy collapsed, and the Doctor and Rory were instantly by her side. Jenny was glancing in between Zero and the trio on the floor with wide eyes.

"Dad," she said weakly. The Doctor stood up and spun around, frowning at the figure smirking back at him.

"Well, that's rubbish. Who's that supposed to be?" he asked. Jenny sighed.

"It's you, Dad," she said slowly, like she was speaking to a child. With her dad, she sometimes was...

"Me?" he asked with incredulity. "Is that what I look like?" Rory gaped.

"You don't know?" the nurse asked. The Doctor shrugged.

"Busy day," he defended. "But why me, though? You're linked with _her_, why are you copying me?"

Young Amelia stepped out from behind the Doctor, holding his hand.

"I'm not," Amelia said, looking at them. "Poor Amy Pond. Still such a child inside. Dreaming of the magic Doctor she _knows_ will return to save her. What a disappointment you've been." The Doctor's eyes flashed, not in pain, but in anger – _nobody_ tried to manipulate him, _ever_.

"No, she's dreaming because she can hear about me," he replied, running back over to Amy and holding her head in his hands. "Amy, don't just hear me, listen. Remember the room, the room in your house you couldn't see. Remember you went inside. I tried to stop you, but you did. You went in the room. You went inside. Amy, dream about what you saw."

Jenny laughed as Zero began to glow, to be replaced with a worm, gray and silver and practically slimy, dangling down from the ceiling, yellow eyes staring hatefully at the Doctor and his daughter as it thrashed about, needle teeth protruding from his mouth.

"_Prisoner Zero is located,"_ the Atraxi announced from somewhere in the sky. _"Prisoner Zero is restrained."_

The light grew brighter, and Zero thrashed in vain before delivering a final message as it faded away.

"_Silence, Doctor, Commander. Silence will fall."_

Amy woke up, and Rory was holding her hand, making sure she was all right.

_Commander, again,_ Jenny said to her father. The Doctor gave a distracted nod, glancing down at Rory's phone as he began pressing buttons.

"He did it," Rory was saying to Amy. "The Doctor did it."

"No, I didn't," the Doctor replied, not looking up. Rory looked at him, as did Amy.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Tracking back the signal," the Doctor explained. "Sorry in advance."

"About what?"

"The bill," Jenny replied in apology. The Doctor pressed a button, instantly yelling into the phone.

"Oi, I didn't say you could _go_!" he shouted. "Article 57 of the Shadow Proclamation. This is a fully established Level Five planet, and you were going to _burn_ it? What? Did you think no one was watching? You lot, back here, _now_." He hung up the phone, then sighed before striding out of the room. "Okay, now I've done it."

"Did he just bring them back?" Rory asked to the Doctor's retreating back. Amy got to her feet and started after him. "Did he just save the world from aliens and then bring all the aliens back again?"

"He's like that," Jenny replied. "Come on, we should follow them. No clue what he'll get up to..." They took off at a slower pace.

"Are you okay?" Rory asked as they followed. Jenny glanced at him.

"Why do you ask?" she replied calmly.

"I'm a nurse. You're limping." She gave a smile.

"I'll be fine, but thank you for asking."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Time to put on a show!" the Doctor announced as Jenny and Rory came in, running past lockers and pulling out articles of clothing.

"You just summoned aliens back to Earth," Rory said to clarify. "Actual aliens, deadly aliens, aliens of death- and now you're taking your clothes off." Jenny went scarlet and dragged the two out of eyesight.

"Don't need to see that," she mumbled, shaking her head. "Don't need to, don't want to, no, no, no, no, no."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They walked onto the roof, the Doctor in a new shirt with several ties draped around his neck. He looked up at Atraxi spaceship, which was hovering just above the roof.

"So this was a good idea, was it?" Amy asked weakly. "They were leaving."

"Leaving is good," Jenny said with a nod. "Never coming back is better."

"Come on, then!" her father shouted. "The Doctor will see you now!"

The eyeball dropped down onto the roof, looking at the Doctor and Jenny, scanning them with a blue light.

"_You are not of this world,"_ it surmised. Jenny nodded.

"No, but I've put a lot of work into it," the Doctor agreed, glancing down at his selection of ties before throwing a few over his shoulder. Rory, his arms full of clothes, still managed to catch them.

"_Is this world important?"_ the Atraxi asked. Jenny snorted.

"Important?" she repeated. "Six billion people live here, is that important? Here's a better question for you: is this world a threat to the Atraxi?" No response. "Come on, you're monitoring the whole planet. You know everything there is to know up until this point. Is this world a threat?"

An image of the Earth came up in a blue hologram.

"_No,"_ the Atraxi finally said. Jenny plowed on.

"Are the people of this world, at any point in history, guilty of any crime by the laws of the Atraxi?"

The image of the world was replaced by several more, one after the other, all of wars and wars and wars; Nazi Germany, the atomic bomb – but then it was replaced with more. Men of peace. Philosophers, teachers, scholars, art-

"_No."_ Her eyes were alight with fire now.

"Okay, one more, just one. Is this world protected? Because you're not the first to have been here. Oh, there have been _so many_!"

Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, _Homo reptilia_, creatures of the likes Jenny had never seen before-

"_No."_

"And what you've got to ask is: what happened to them?" This was the Doctor, slinging an arm over his daughter's shoulders and positively beaming.

His first incarnation. Second. Third. Fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth-

The Doctor stepped through, clad in tweed jacket, bow tie, his eyes alight with the same fire as his daughter.

"Hello," he said softly. "I'm the Doctor. Basically... _run._"

If it was possible, the eye widened before retracting into the ship and fleeing, very, _very_ fast.

The Doctor pulled a glowing TARDIS key out of his pocket, glancing over at Jenny with a grin.

"Race you?"

"You're on."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It seemed as though it was an even deeper shade of blue than before, and Jenny's eyes lit up as they stepped inside, bathed in copper light.

"Look at you," the Doctor breathed. "Oh, you sexy thing! Look at you!" Jenny ran a hand along the railing as she moved up towards the console, _hearing_ the ship sing in her mind-!

"She's beautiful."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When they landed again, it was night time, the air pleasantly cool, and Amy ran from her house to greet them in the garden.

"Sorry about running off earlier," the Doctor said apologetically. "Brand new TARDIS, bit exciting. Had a quick hop to the Moon and back to run her in, and then hunted down the infirmary to help Jen here." Jenny waved, clad in clean clothing and feeling significantly better.

"It's you," Amy breathed. "You came back."

"Course we came back," Jenny laughed. "We always come back. Something wrong with that?"

"And you kept the clothes." The Doctor nodded.

"Well, I just saved the world. The whole _planet, _for about the millionth time, no charge. Shoot me, I kept the clothes."

"...Including the bow tie," Amy said skeptically. Jenny sighed.

"Tried to talk him out of it," she mumbled.

"It's cool!" the Doctor defended, straightening the tie. "Bow ties are cool."

"Are you from another planet?" Amy asked after a pause.

"Yeah, the both of us," he replied.

"Okay," she said slowly.

Another pause.

"So..." Jenny said slowly. "What do you think?"

"Of what?"

"Other planets, want to check some out?" the Doctor asked.

"Come with us," Jenny said with a kind smile.

"Where?"

"Wherever you like."

"All that stuff that happened," Amy started, her tone shaky, overwhelmed. "The hospital, the spaceships, Prisoner Zero-"

"It's just the beginning," the Doctor assured. "There's loads more."

"-those things," Amy continued, "those amazing things, all that stuff..." Here she stopped, her accent coming back in full force with her anger. "That was _two years ago._"

Jenny turned on her father. "You said you got it right!"

He held his hands up in defense. "Oops?"

"Yeah, oops," Jenny mocked.

"Don't sass your father."

"She's waited fourteen years since you broke into her kitchen and ate fish custard after telling her there was a swimming pool in the library!"

"I'm not coming if you two are always like this," Amy cut in. They turned to look at her.

"You wanted to come fourteen years ago," the Doctor pointed out.

"I grew up."

"We'll soon fix that."

Amy followed them into the TARDIS.

"...I'm in my nightie," she said weakly, staring at the not-small room in the very-small box.

"Plenty of clothes in the wardrobe, I was just there," Jenny replied. "Potentially a swimming pool, don't fall in. All of time and space, Amy Pond, everything that could happen and everything that has happened and everything that's happening at this very second. Where do you want to start?"

"You're so sure that I'm coming," Amy replied.

"You're the Scottish girl in the English village," the Doctor said, a stray note of sympathy creeping into his tone without him realizing it. "I know how that feels. All these years living here, and you've still got that accent. Yeah, you're coming."

"Can you get me back for tomorrow morning?"

"Should be able to get you back for five minutes ago, except we might need a few tries," Jenny said, the last part directed at her father with a mental eye-roll. "What's tomorrow."

"Nothing!" she said, her voice oddly high pitched. "Erm, nothing. Just- You know. Stuff."

"Back in time for stuff," the Doctor said with a nod. "We can do that."

A ding came from the console, and he pulled out two screwdrivers.

"Oh, a new one!" he said happily. "And a... spare?"

"I think it's mine," Jenny said. "Oh, thank you dear!" The humming of the console almost grew louder, and the Doctor tossed the sonic, similar to the one he had in his last incarnation over to his daughter. She caught it easily and tucked it into the base of her ponytail. He raised an eyebrow.

"Don't have pockets," she replied. "'Sides, won't lose it like this. Amy, you okay? This place can be... let's just say if I didn't know what it was I probably would have shot something by now."

"I'm fine," Amy said, still looking around in awe. "It's just- there's a whole world in here. It's all true. I thought- well- I started to think, that maybe, you were just a madman with an imaginary daughter in a box." The Doctor looked at her seriously.

"Amy Pond, there's something you need to know about me, because it's very important and one day, your life may depend on it. While Jenny isn't imaginary, she's as crazy as I am, and I am most definitely a mad man with a box."

He ran up to the console, Jenny and Amy following behind.

The TARDIS faded into the air.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**So. Um. Thirty page chapter with 10000 words. Forgive me for being late? And review? runs to concrete bunker* I'll just stay down here and write, 'kay?**


	14. The Beast Below

**Okay, so I've had an idea for this bouncing around in my head, and I want people's opinions on it. There's a poll up on my profile page as well, but you can drop your answer in a PM or a review. See, in the actual DW series there's always things mentioned on screen about things that happened outside the episodes, and they're basically never elaborated on.**

**Which, I admit, does add to the whole quirkiness/amazingness of the show.**

**But I figure I could write a series of interludes, I suppose, for _An Awful Lot of Running to Do_ about things that happened off-screen. Jenny's reaction to the TARIS for the first time (it was deleted from the prologue), the reunion party I mentioned in _The End of Time_, father/daughter fluffiness, since there's not always a chance to see that in the episodes written. So, like I said, let me know what you think!**

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"This is brilliant," Jenny laughed, looking around with wide eyes.

"Definitely," Amy breathed. The Doctor was holding onto Jenny's ankle as she floated outside the TARDIS, and Jenny in turn was holding onto Amy's ankle. Around them, nothing but an endless expanse of stars.

"Okay, come on, Pond," the Doctor grinned, pulling Jenny back down. The two landed on the TARDIS floor, still laughing. "Now do you believe me?"

"Okay, your box is a spaceship," she said with a nod. "It's really, really a spaceship. We're in space!" Jenny's laughter subsided, but she was still grinning. Amy reminded her of Donna, yet it didn't hurt as much as she expected. Amy paused, struck by a sudden thought. "What are we breathing?"

"I've extended the air shell," Jenny replied. "We're fine."

"I extended the air shell!" the Doctor protested. Jenny smirked, then paused. The Doctor clapped his hands together, and they all looked at the massive city floating below. "Now, that's interesting. Twenty-ninth century. Solar flares roast the Earth, and the entire human race packs its bags and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations!"

He ran back to the console, the doors closing behind him. Jenny raised an eyebrow, but she knew it was fine and she wanted to see how long it would take him to notice.

"Migrating to the stars. Isn't that amazing?"

He paused. "Amy?"

Jenny opened the doors, looking at Amy holding onto the corner of the TARDIS. The Doctor had the grace to look embarrassed.

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They landed the TARDIS with surprising ease, and the Doctor spun around to smile at the two of them. "Well, come on," he urged. "I've found us a spaceship. This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland. All of it, bolted together and floating in the sky. Starship UK. It's Britain, by metal. That's not just a ship, it's an idea. That's a whole country, living and laughing and shopping. Searching the stars for a new home."

"Can we go out and see?" Amy asked. Jenny nodded emphatically.

"'Course we can," he said brightly. "But first, there's a thing."

"A thing?" Amy repeated.

"An important thing. In fact, Thing One." Jenny shook her head.

"Doctor Seuss references?" she asked. "Honestly?"

"Doctor Seuss is cool," he replied. "But anyway. Thing One. We are observers only. That's the one rule I've always stuck to in all my travels. I never get involved in the affairs of other peoples or planets."

Jenny had to take a moment to process that statement, several thoughts whizzing about inside her head, but then she realized Amy was talking and snapped out of her reverie.

"-and cold? Doctor?" They looked over at the scanner screen, talking to a crying child. He glanced up and made a motion with his hand, clearing stating _come on, hurry up!_

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"I'm in the future," Amy said as they stepped out of the TARDIS, taking a step back as a bicyclist went past. "Like, hundreds of years in the future. I've been dead for centuries."

"That's cheerful," Jenny muttered, but the Doctor shook his head.

"Never mind dead, look at this place," he said. "Isn't it wrong?" His tone clearly said the solution should be obvious, and yet neither Jenny or Amy could see what he was talking about. "Come on, use your eyes! Notice everything. What's wrong with this picture?"

"Is it the bicycles?" Amy finally said. "But unusual, bicycles on a spaceship."

"Says the girl in the nightie," the Doctor countered. Amy flushed, glancing down at her clothing.

"Oh my god, I'm in my nightie."

"Look around," the Doctor repeated. "Actually _look. _Jen, can't you see anything?" He plowed on before she could continue. "Life on a giant starship. Back to basics. Bicycles, washing lines, wind-up street lamps, but look closer. Secrets and shadows, lives led in fear. Society bent out of shape, on the brink of collapse. A police state. Excuse me."

He ran over to a small round table where a young couple was eating and took the man's glass of water.

"What are you doing?" the man demanded.

The Doctor didn't answer, placing the glass down on the floor and crouching so his ear was against the floor and he was looking into the water. Then he jumped back up and placed the glass on the table.

"Sorry, checking all the water in this area," he apologized. "There's an escaped fish."

He walked off again, Jenny and Amy catching up and falling into step alongside him.

"Why did you just do that with the water?" Amy asked.

"Don't know," he replied. "I think a lot, it's hard to keep track. Now, police state. Do you see it yet?"

"No," Jenny replied.

The Doctor pointed to the crying child.

"One little girl crying," Amy said dubiously. "So?"

"Crying silently," he replied. "Important lesson on children psychology, Jen, pay attention now. Children cry because they want attention, because they're hurt or afraid. But when they cry silently, it's because they just can't stop. Any parent knows that."

_Dad?_ Jenny asked. _Were you a parent... before me? An actual, normal parent, not a parent with a fully grown progenated daughter?_ He didn't reply to her, continuing with what he was saying before.

"Hundreds of parents walking past who spot her and not one of them is asking what's wrong, which means they already now, and it's something they don't talk about. Secrets. They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows. Whatever they're afraid of is nowhere to be seen, which means it's everywhere. Police state."

The child, wiping tears from her eyes, got into a lift. The Doctor pulled out a colorful wallet from his pocket.

"Amy, you go to Deck two-oh-seven," he said, tossing her the wallet. "Apple Sesame Block, dwelling 54A. You're looking for Mandy Tanner." Amy looked pointedly at the wallet, and he looked briefly sheepish. "Oh, er, this- fell out of her pocket when I- accidentally bumped into her. Took me for tries." Jenny snorted. "Ask her about those things. The smiling fellows in the booths. They're everywhere."

Amy took the wallet. "But they're just things," she pointed out. Jenny looked at one of the booths with a scrutinizing gaze.

"It's because they're clean, right?" she said as the Doctor opened his mouth. "Everything else is all battered and filthy and disgusting, but there isn't even a fingerprint on the booths. Not one piece of trash, not one curious child, not even a footprint within two feet of them." The Doctor beamed.

"Exactly! Now, ask Mandy, why are people scared of the things in the booths?"

"No, hang on," Amy protested as he started walking away. "What do I do? I don't know what I'm doing here, and I'm not even _dressed_."

"It's this or Leadworth," the Doctor replied. "What do you think? What will Amy Pond choose?" Amy paused, but then a small smile began to spread across her face. The Doctor laughed. "Gotcha. Meet us back here in half an hour."

"What are you going to do?" Amy asked. He continued to smile.

"What I always do. Stay out of trouble. Badly."

Jenny sighed and watched as he walked away, leaping over a bench and walking towards the elevator backwards. "And I will do what _I _always do. Get into trouble with him to make sure he doesn't do anything too stupid in the process."

"Is this how it works?" Amy asked her. "Neither of you ever interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets, unless there's children crying?" Jenny paused.

That was what she didn't understand. That one thing her father had said, that they never interfered. Was this an attempt to be amusing, to instill some sense of responsibility in their new companion, or was he actually being serious? Her father had explained the process of regeneration in more detail shortly after the prophecy given by Carmen when they had bid Christina farewell. He still had the same memories, in the same detail, but it was almost more hazy, harder to recall, if that made any sense. Like a dream you had, and when something reminded you of the dream then you could remember it but if you tried to think of it while you're sitting around doing nothing then you wouldn't remember a thing. Still the same person, but the different appearance, different preferences, it was essentially like being a whole different person. It was being a whole different person. And while this incarnation of her father seemed to be far more cheerful, she couldn't help but think that there was something leftover from before, from Mars and Gallifrey and so many deaths. But Amy didn't know any of that, and it was fairly likely that she never would.

"Yes."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor climbed down the ladder first, followed by Jenny, who lightly jumped off, skipping the last five rungs and landing with her knees bent, straightening back up as he started scanning the walls with the sonic screwdriver. Jenny pulled her own from her pocket and did the same, frowning.

"Can't be," the Doctor muttered. Jenny mentally nudged her father, looking pointedly at a glass sitting on the floor. A woman stepped from the shadows, wearing a velvet dress, hood covering most of her face and a mask covering the rest.

"The impossible truth in a glass of water," she said quietly, Jenny and the Doctor warily looking back. "Not many people see it. But you do, don't you, Doctor, Commander?"

"You know us?" he asked sharply, tensing at the name which seemed to be following them. _Commander._

"Keep your voice down," she replied just as sharply. "They're everywhere. Tell me what you see in the glass."

"Who says I see anything?" the Doctor asked at the same time Jenny replied with, "Who are they?"

"Don't waste time," the woman said. "At the marketplace, you placed a glass of water on the floor, looked at it, then came to the engine room. Why?" The Doctor looked at her with a piercing gaze before replying.

"No engine vibration on deck," he finally said. "Ship this size, engine this big, you'd feel it. The water would move. So we decided to talk a look. It doesn't make sense, though." He walked over to a box and pulled out a cable that hadn't even been connected. "These power coupling, they're not connected. They're dummies, see? And behind this wall-" Jenny knocked against the metal with her fist, causing a series of hollow _gongs_ to ring out. "-nothing. It's hollow. If I didn't know better, I'd say there was-"

"-no engine at all," the woman finished.

"But we were moving," Jenny said slowly. "You were traveling, this ship is traveling through space. I watched it."

"The impossible truth, Commander. We're traveling among the stars in a spaceship that could never fly."

"But _how_?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "There is a darkness at the heart of this nation. It threatens every one of us. Help us, Doctor, Commander. You're our only hope." She pulled a small device out of the folds of her dress. "Your friend is safe. This will take you to her. Now go, quickly!"

She turned to leave, but the Doctor spoke up before she had slipped into the shadows.

"Who are you?" he asked. "How do we find you again?"

"I am Liz Ten, and I will find you."

She vanished into the shadows and the smoke.

_Dad,_ Jenny said as they started back up the ladder. _That name again. Commander._

_I wouldn't worry about it,_ he finally replied. _There are worse names to be called._

She frowned, then spoke again.

_What did you mean by saying we never interfere? I know that's nothing like you. At all._

The answer wasn't slow in coming this time; it never came.

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"_This isn't a trick. This is for real. You've got to find the Doctor and Jenny and get them back to the TARDIS. Don't let him investigate. Stop him. Do whatever you have to, just please, please get the Doctor off this ship!"_

The door slid open to reveal Amy staring in confusion at a screen, where a recording of her was playing. There were two buttons as well, one that read _FORGET_ and one that read _PROTEST_.

"_Listen to me. This isn't a trick. This is for real."_

Jenny took a few steps closer to the screen as the Doctor scanned the walls and the ceiling, frowning.

"_You've got to find the Doctor and Jenny."_

Amy reached around her and switched the screen off. Jenny gave her a pointed look, but was ignored.

"Basic memory wipe job," the Doctor said, looking at the results on the sonic. "Must have erased about... twenty minutes."

"But why would I choose to forget?" Amy asked, glancing back at the screen.

"Because everyone does," Mandy said from where she stood in the doorway. "Everyone chooses the Forget button."

"Did you?" Jenny asked lightly, pulling out her own sonic and waving it across the blank screen.

"I'm not eligible to vote yet," Mandy said like it was obvious. "I'm twelve. Any time after you're sixteen, you're allowed to see the film and make your choice. And then once every five years."

"Democracy in action," Jenny sighed.

"And you say I'm the rude one?" the Doctor asked with a laugh.

"How do you know about this?" Mandy cut in. "Are you Scottish too?" The Doctor laughed again, while Jenny gave a smile.

"Oh, I'm way worse than Scottish," he said. "I can't even see the movie. Won't play for me, either of us, technically."

"It played for me," Amy pointed out.

"We aren't human," Jenny said.

"No, you look Time Lord," she countered. "We came first."

"So there are other Time Lords, yeah?"

"_This body was born from death. All it can do is die."_

_Gallifrey burning._

_The Skaro Degradations, the Horde of Travesties, the Nightmare Child, the Could-Have-Been King with his army of Meanwhiles and Never-weres. The War turned into hell._

"No," the Doctor finally said, not looking at them. "There were, but there aren't. Just me... now. Long story. There was a bad day. Bad stuff happened." He looked up from the screen, ancient brown eyes staring into wide hazel. "And you know what? I'd love to forget it all, every last bit of it, but I don't. Not ever. Because _this_ is what I do, what we do, every time, every day, every second. Hold tight."

_Dad, don't you-_

The Doctor slammed his fist down on the PROTEST button, and the door slammed shut. The floor beneath them began to slide open, and they took a few steps back from the _long _drop.

"Say whhheeeeeeee!" the Doctor said with a grin.

Amy screamed wordlessly as they fell, and while Jenny was just as inarticulate, her mental screams of _Dad, you are INSANE_ got the point across clearly enough.

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The Doctor groaned as he stood up, covered in waste. Jenny, who was sitting in the stuff, fought the urge to vomit. Amy landed next to her with a splash not a moment later.

"Where are we?" Amy asked, looking around in disgust.

"Six hundred feet down, twenty miles laterally, puts us at the heart of the ship," the Doctor replied. "I'd say Lancashire. What's this, then, a cave? Can't be a cave. Looks like a cave."

Jenny shivered as the ground squished underneath her hands.

"It's a rubbish dump!" Amy snapped.

"Only food," he replied. "Organic, coming from feeder tubes all over the ship."

"The floor's squishy," she muttered, jumping up and down.

"Very squishy," Jenny agreed, feeling her feet sink as she stood up. "And rubbery. And slimy."

A growl came from far off, silencing the two and causing the Doctor to pause in realization.

"Er, it's not a floor, it's a-" He paused, looking around. Jenny read the answer in his mind, however, and jumped to her feet, wondering if it was possible for her to climb back up the feeding tube.

"It's a what?" Amy demanded.

"The next word is kind of a scary word," the Doctor said slowly. "You probably want to take a moment, get yourself in a calm place. Go 'omm'."

"Omm," Amy repeated.

"Eww," Jenny mumbled.

"It's a tongue," he announced, and she flinched.

"I'm trying not to think about that," she replied. "And are we in _Star Wars_ or something? Stuck in a massive mouth in space, and then the "help us, you're our only hope" thing?"

"Be nice, Jen," the Doctor said absently.

"We're in a _mouth_?" Amy nearly shrieked.

"On the plus side, roomy."

"Why should I be nice? There's a massive _something_ underneath the spaceship, and we're in it's mouth. I'm in a _mouth_," Jenny snapped in reply.

"How do we get out?" Amy asked, looking around.

"How big is this?" the Doctor mused, effectively ignoring them. "It's _gorgeous_. Blimey, if this is just the mouth, I'd love to see the stomach. Though not right now."

"Dad," Jenny pressed. "Way out? Preferably a way that isn't the normal way?"

"Well, the normal entrance is closed for business." The Doctor pointed at a wall of closed teeth in the distance.

"Not to mention I don't fancy being vomited into space," Jenny added.

Amy started walking towards the Doctor, only for him to throw his hands up and look around nervously as the floor – _tongue_ – vibrated.

"Don't move," he said, and the floor vibrated again.

Jenny swore in Gallifreyan, causing the Doctor to spin around at look at her.

"Where did you hear _that?_" he asked. She glanced up at him.

"The last time you tried to 'fix' the console," she replied calmly. "And in answer to Amy's upcoming question, the swallow reflex." The Doctor quickly started waving the sonic about, and the tongue shook again, more violently.

"Vibrating the chemo-receptors?" Jenny asked weakly.

"Yup."

"The what?" Amy asked.

"The eject button"

The room shook again, and they all lined up. The Doctor took one of their slimy hands in each of his grinning wildly.

"Right then," he said as a wave approached them. Jenny glanced at the pipe they had come down. She _might_ be able to climb up, but the three of them would never make it in time and she didn't want to be left alone on a tongue- "This isn't going to be big on dignity. Geronimo!"

The last thing she was aware of was being surrounded by slime and desperately wishing that there was sanity somewhere in the family.

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Jenny woke up to her father tapping her cheek.

"Jen," he was saying. "Come on, atta girl. Wake up time." She blinked a couple times, adjusted to the uncomfortable sensation of being covered in encrusted slime, and swatted his hands away.

"I'm fine," she muttered, standing up. "Where are we?"

"Overspill pipe," Amy replied. "And the smell isn't the pipe." Jenny wrinkled her nose.

"Can we get out?" she asked. The Doctor nodded at the door.

"One door, one switch, one condition." Jenny glared at the _FORGET_ switch. "We forget everthing we saw. That's the carrot... and here's the stick."

He turned around as two booths containing the... things. Smilers, Jenny decided to call them. Two booths containing the Smilers lit up.

"There's a creature living in the heart of this ship," the Doctor said, looking at them warily. "What's it doing there?"

With a clicking noise, the heads of the Smilers turned around so that they were frowning. Frowners, then? Jenny took a half-step forwards, angling herself so she was next to her father and in front of Amy.

"No, that's not going to work on me," the Doctor scoffed. "Big old beast below decks, and everyone who protests gets shoved down its throat. That how it works?"

The heads began clicking again as they rotated, but this time their eyes were red, their mouths bared open in a snarl. Jenny resisted the urge to take a step back.

"Right," she said slowly. "Two sides of a head, you have three, seen stranger. But we aren't leaving, and we aren't forgetting."

"What are you going to do?" the Doctor taunted. "Stick your tongues out at us?"

The booths opened and the Smilers stepped out. Jenny would have buried her head in her hands if she thought she could afford to look away from the robots.

"First we land in a mouth and you say you'd like to see its stomach, so it starts to swallow us. I think, just a hunch, mind you, I _think_ that asking robots with creepy heads what they're going to do to us if we refuse to comply to their demands probably isn't the best idea!" All of this was said in a quiet tone, but it was taut with slight anger and fear.

Liz Ten stepped from the shadows and shot the Smilers before the Doctor could reply, twirling her two pistols around before putting them in holsters, then turning around to look at them. Her mask was gone now to reveal a face that would have looked beautiful if she were smiling, caramel skin, curly brown hair and a near-perfect complexion, but right now she just looked serious.

"Look who it is," the Doctor laughed. "You look a lot better without your mask." Liz smirked before turning to Amy.

"You must be Amy," she said, holding out her hand. "Liz, Liz Ten."

"Hi," Amy replied, shaking the offered hand. Liz made a brief noise of disgust, quickly wiping her hand on her cloak.

"Eurgh! Lovely hair, Amy. Shame about the sick." She started towards the now-open door where Mandy was standing. "You know Mandy, yeah? She's very brave."

"How did you find us?" Jenny asked.

"Stuck my gizmo on you," Liz replied, tossing the Doctor a tracking device of her own. "Nice moves on the hurl escape. So, what's the big guy doing here?"

"You're over sixteen, you've voted," the Doctor said. "Whatever this is, you've chosen to forget about it."

"No," Liz countered. "Never voted, never forgot. Not technically a British subject."

"Then who and what are you, and how do you know me?" the Doctor asked, taking a step in front of Jenny, who sighed but remained where she was. "And why did you call Jenny 'Commander'?"

"You're a bit hard to miss." Liz calmly avoided the question entirely. "Mysterious strangers, MO consistent with higher alien intelligence, hair of an idiot..." The Doctor ran a self-conscious hand over his slime covered hair. "I've been brought up on the stories. My whole family was."

"Your family?"

Liz avoided the question again, glancing back at the Smilers.

"They're repairing," she commented as the robots started to twitch. "Doesn't take them long. Let's move."

They quickly left with Mandy and off into several sub-corridors.

"The Doctor and Jenny," Liz said as they walked. "Old drinking buddies of Henry Twelve. Tea and Scones with Liz Two. Vicky was a bit on the fence about you, weren't she? Knighted you and exiled you on the same day. And so much for the Virgin Queen." This last part was added with a laugh.

"That was Jenny's fault," the Doctor muttered. "She invited Jack." Jenny rolled her eyes, but then the Doctor paused in realization. "Liz Ten," he breathed.

"Yeah," Liz replied, turning around. "Elizabeth the Tenth. And _down_!"

They dropped to the floor as Liz shot the repaired Smilers again.

"I'm the bloody Queen, mate," Liz said, looking down at them. Jenny belatedly realized that they rather resembled subjects crouching at the Queen's feet. "Basically, I rule."

They continued onwards through the corridors, only pausing once when they came to tentacles, thrashing against metal grating.

"Any ideas?" Liz asked. Jenny was slowly shaking her head.

_Can't they hear it? _she finally managed to say to her father.

_Human ears can't pick up on it,_ he replied, squeezing her hand in silent reassurance.

"I saw one of these things up top," Amy said. "There was a hole in the road, like it had burst through like a root."

"Exactly like a root," Jenny croaked, pieces coming together in her mind. She didn't know the whole story, but she had a guess. "One creature, breaking through the walls of the entire ship, reaching out."

"What, like an infestation?" Liz's expression turned more concerned and just a tiny bit angry. "Someone's helping it. Feeding it, feeding _my subjects_ to it. Come on, got to keep moving."

As they left, Jenny pressed her fingers through the grating. The tentacles twitched before brushing against her hand in a soft caress.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Why all the glasses of water?" the Doctor asked as he navigated the maze of glasses covering the floor. Liz lay down on the large canopy bed in the center of the room.

"To remind me every single day that my government is up to something," she replied, "and it's my duty to find out what."

Jenny picked up the white mask and turned it over in her hands. "A queen going undercover to investigate her own kingdom?" she asked.

"Secrets are being kept from me," Liz replied. "I don't have a choice. Ten years I've been at this. My entire reign, and you've achieved more in one afternoon." The Doctor stepped over to Jenny, flashing the mask with the sonic.

"How old were you when you came to the throne?" he asked.

"I was forty," she said. "Why?" Amy gaped.

"You're _fifty _now?" she asked incredulously. "No way." Liz grinned.

"Yeah, they slowed my body clock. Keeps me looking like the stamps."

"Air balanced porcelain," Jenny said quietly, looking back at the mask. "Stays on by itself because it's perfectly sculpted to your face."

"Yeah," Liz agreed. "So?"

And another piece of the puzzle dropped into place.

"So everything," Jenny said sadly.

Suddenly, the door to the room burst open. A group of men came in, dressed in hooded black robes but their faces were still visible.

"What are you doing?" Liz demanded, sitting upright, outraged. "How dare you come in here!"

"Ma'am, you have expressed interest in the interior workings of Starship UK," the man at the front of the group said in a monotone. "You will come with us now." Liz raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"And why would I do that?"

The man's head twisted around to show the demonic face of a Smiler.

"How can they be Smilers?" Amy asked weakly.

"Genetic manipulation, probably," the Doctor spat. Liz shook her head.

"Whatever you creatures are, I am still your Queen," she said coldly. "On whose authority is this done?"

"The highest authority, ma'am," the Smiler replied.

"I _am_ the highest authority," Liz countered.

"Yes, ma'am. You must go now, ma'am."

"Where?"

"To the Tower, ma'am."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Tower, it turned out, was at the lowest point of Starship UK, deep in the dungeons. The room itself was done in a medieval style, although the computers and bits of machinery scattered everywhere, topped with the tentacles thrashing at the grating, negated the effect.

"Ma'am," a man with graying hair and glasses said as he stepped from the shadows, bowing to Liz. Jenny was cringing at the noise, but nobody seemed to notice.

"Hawthorne," Liz spat. "So _this_ is where you hid yourself away. I think you've got some explaining to do."

"Why are there children?" Jenny asked, glancing over at where a group of children stood in the corner.

"Protesters and citizens of limited value are said to the beast," Hawthorne said calmly. "For some reason, it won't eat the children. You're the first adults it's spared. You're very lucky."

"Yeah, look at us," the Doctor scoffed, his tone turning into disgust. "Torture chamber of the Tower of London. Lucky us. Except it's not a torture chamber, is it? Well, except it is. Except it isn't. Depends on your point of view."

They walked forwards, and Jenny resisted the urge to block her ears as the screaming grew louder while they looked down at a large pulsating mass quivered in the center of the room. Giant electrodes shot electrical bursts down at it every few seconds.

"Depends on the angle," Jenny said weakly. "Yeah. It's either the exposed pain center of the creature's brain being tortured relentlessly... or it's Starship UK's go faster button. The gas pedal."

"I don't understand," Liz whispered.

"Don't you?" the Doctor asked bitterly. "Try to. Go on. The spaceship that could never fly. No vibration on deck. This creature, this poor, trapped, terrified creature. It's not infesting you, it's not invading... Like Jen said, it's reaching out. It's what you have instead of an engine. And this place down here is where you hurt it, where you torture it day after day after day, just to keep it moving."

He strode over to a grate and yanked it aside, looking up as a tentacle shot through, waving through the air.

"Tell you what," he said, pulling out the sonic. "Normally, it's above the range of human hearing... This is the sound none of you wanted to hear."

He pressed a button. Screams filled the room, horrible, pain-filled, terrified screams, the same screams the Doctor and Jenny had heard before. Except now they all knew what it was.

"Stop it," Liz demanded, horrified. The noise ceased, but Jenny could still hear it. "Who did this?"

"We act on instructions from the highest authority," Hawthorne said.

"_I_ am the highest authority," Liz nearly snarled. "The creature will be released _now_." Nobody moved. "I said _now_! Is anyone listening to me?"

Jenny looked down at the mask still in her hands.

"Liz," she said quietly, handing her the cool white porcelain. "Your mask. It's _old_. At least two hundred years old, I would say."

"So?" Liz asked, confused. "It's an antique." Jenny sighed.

"An antique made by craftsmen two hundred years ago, yet perfectly sculpted you your face. The slowed your body clock, Liz. You're not fifty, you're closer to three hundred."

"Nah, it's been ten years," Liz insisted. "I've been on this throne ten years."

"Ten years," the Doctor sighed, taking her by the hand and walking towards a computer terminal. "And the same ten years, over and over again, always leading you here."

They looked down at the two buttons. _FORGET _and _ABDICATE_.

Liz turned to Hawthorne, horrified. "What have you done?"

"Only what you have ordered," Hawthorne replied calmly. "We work for you, ma'am. The Winders, the Smilers, all of us." He reached over and pressed a button. A video began to play on screen, and Liz stared down at her own pained expression.

"_If you are watching this- If __**I**__ am watching this, then I have found my way to the Tower of London,"_ the recording said. _"The creature you are looking at is called a Star Whale. Once, there were millions of them. They lived in the depths of space, and, according to legend, guided the early space travelers through the asteroid belts. This one, as far as we are aware, is the last of its kind. And what we have done to it breaks my heart."_

Jenny slowly took a few steps backwards, shakily sitting on the steps while everyone watched in silence.

"_The Earth was burning. Our sun had turned on us and every other nation had fled to the skies. Our children screamed as the skies grew hotter. And then it came. Like a miracle, it came. The last of the Star Whales. We trapped it, built our ship around it, and we rode on its back to safety. If you wish our voyage to continue, then you must press the Forget button. Be again the heart of this nation, untainted. If not, press the other button. Your reign will end, the Star Whale will be released, and our ship will disintegrate. I hope I keep the strength to make the right decision."_

"I voted for this," Amy breathed, wide-eyed in shock. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you knew if we stayed here, I'd be faced with an impossible choice. Humanity or the alien. You took it upon yourself to save me from that." He turned to look at her, expression cold and hard. "And that was wrong. You don't _ever_ decided what I need to know."

"I don't even remember doing it!"

"You did it!" he snapped. "That's what counts."

"I'm... I'm sorry."

"Oh, I don't care." His tone had shifted from cold to disgusted, indifferent to sneering. "When I'm done here, you're going home." He started for another one of the terminals, leaving Amy standing behind him. She frowned.

"Why?" she demanded. "Because I made a mistake? _One_ mistake? I don't even remember doing it!"

"Yeah, I know," he said, not looking up at her. "You're only human."

"What are you doing?" Liz asked quietly. Mandy came over to sit next to Jenny, and Amy sat down on the other side of her.

"You okay?" Amy asked quietly. Jenny looked up at her.

"He was like this once," she replied, just as quietly. "Only once, but it was horrible, Amy."

"I'm going to pass a massive electrical charge through the Star Whale's brain," the Doctor replied to Liz, sounded disgusted again, this time with himself. "Should knock out all its higher functions, leave it a vegetable. The ship will still fly, but the whale won't feel it."

"That'll be like killing it."

The Doctor turned on them.

"Look!" he snapped. "Three options. One: I let the Star Whale continue, in _unendurable agony_ for _hundreds_ more years. Two: I kill everyone on this ship. Three: I murder a beautiful, innocent creature as painlessly as I can. And then I find a new name, because I won't be the Doctor anymore."

"There must be something we can do, some other way-" Liz started, but the Doctor overrode her.

"Nobody talk to me!" he shouted. "Nobody _human_ has _anything _to say to me today!"

Jenny and Amy watched, offering silent support to the other. Mandy had ran over to one of the children in the room, and they couldn't do anything to help at all.

Jenny looked up as Amy nudged her in the side, then nodded to where Mandy was talking with another one of the children. One of the tentacles had come up from the ground, poked at Mandy's shoulder until it had her attention, and the two children were smiling and lightly petting it.

_...come on, use your eyes, notice everything..._

_...our children screamed, it came, like a miracle..._

_...it won't eat the children..._

_...the children screamed, then it came...it's the last of it's kind..._

_...just me now..._

_...the last of it's kind..._

_...Is this how it works? You never interfere with other peoples or planets..._

_...children screamed..._

_...unless there's children crying?_

_Yes._

And in silent agreement, Amy and Jenny stood up.

"Sorry, Your Majesty," Amy said as they each grabbed her by the arm and nearly carried her to the voting buttons. "Going to need a hand." The Doctor looked up in shock.

"Amy, Jenny, _no! _No!"

Amy pushed Liz's hand down on _ABDICATE_.

The floor shook violently before stopping. The Doctor stared at the two of them in horror.

"What... what have you done?"

"Nothing at all," Amy said with a laugh. "Am I right?" Hawthorne was gaping at a screen showing streams of date.

"We've _increased _speed!" he gasped. Jenny rolled her eyes.

"Well, now that you've stopped torturing the pilot!" she scoffed.

"It's still here," Liz said in confusion. "I don't understand." Amy took Jenny's hand, and they walked forwards to look at the brain. Jenny could hear singing rushing through her mind like a breath of fresh air after the rain.

"The Star Whale didn't come like a miracle," she explained. "It volunteered. You didn't have to trap it or torture it. That was all just you."

"It came because it couldn't stand you watch your children cry," Amy continued. "What if you were really old, and really kind and alone? Your whole race dead. No future. What would you do then? If you were that old, and that kind, and the very last of your kind..."

"...you couldn't just stand there and watch children cry," Jenny finished.

_...Jenny?_

_Yes?_

_I'm sorry._

Jenny left Amy's side to go and pull her father into a hug.

_I forgive you._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny and the Doctor were standing on the observation deck when Amy walked up.

"From Her Majesty," she said, holding out Liz's mask. "She says there will be no more secrets on Starship UK." The Doctor looked down at the mask.

"You could have killed everyone on this ship," he finally said.

"And you could have killed a Star Whale," she countered. He sighed.

"And you saved it, both of you. I know."

"Amazing though, don't you think?" she asked lightly, standing on the other side of the Doctor. "All that pain and misery and loneliness, and it just made it kind."

"But you couldn't have known how it would react," he protested weakly.

"You couldn't," she said. "But I've seen it before, and so's Jenny, I think. Very old and very kind, and the very very last of its kind. Sound familiar?"

They shared a brief hug in the starlight.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Shouldn't we say goodbye?" Amy asked as they jogged through the marketplace. "Won't they wonder where we went?" The Doctor grinned.

"For the rest of their lives. Oh, the songs they'll write! Never mind them. Big day tomorrow."

"Sorry, what?" Amy froze.

"It's always a big day tomorrow!" Jenny said excitedly. "We have a time machine, and he skips the little ones." Amy nodded, then looked at them, almost nervous.

"You know what I said about getting back for tomorrow morning?" she asked. They nodded. "Well... have you ever run away from something because you were scared, or not ready, or- just- just because you could?" Jenny shook her head, but the Doctor nodded.

"Once, a long time ago."

"And what happened?" He gave a forced smile.

"Hello."

Jenny slapped him upside the head, causing him to jump.

"Don't freak the poor girl out," she said teasingly. "Now, anyway, Amy, is there something you want to tell- Wait." She paused, looking at the box. "Telephone?"

They all walked into the TARDIS, where the phone was indeed ringing.

"People phone you?" Amy asked.

"Well, it's a phone box," the Doctor replied, almost affronted. "Would you mind?"

Amy went to answer the phone while the Doctor leaned against the railing. Jenny sat down in one of the squashy seats.

"Hello?" Amy asked, almost timidly into the phone. Pause. "Sorry, who?" Longer pause. "No, seriously. Who?" Pause. "Says he's the Prime Minister," she said to them. "First the Queen, now the Prime Minister. Get about, don't you?"

"Which Prime Minister?" Jenny asked.

"Er, which Prime Minister?" Amy relayed. Pause. "The British one." The Doctor nodded as though this was a reasonable response.

"Which British one?"

"Which British one?" she repeated. Pause. Amy held out the phone. "Winston Churchill for you." The Doctor grinned, bounded up the stairs and snatched the phone away.

"Oh, hello dear!" he said happily into the phone. "What's up?" Pause. "Don't worry about a thing, Prime Minister. We're on our way!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_In bed above, we're deep asleep, while greater love lies further deep. This dream must end, this world must know, we all depend on the beast below._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

And Starship UK carried on, light spilling from a crack in the hull.


	15. Victory of the Daleks

Jenny sighed as they stepped out the doors of the TARDIS only to be greeted by three men holding WWII-era rifles.

_Is this normal, us being held at gunpoint?_

_You should know that by now, Jen._

Thankfully, they moved aside to let Winston Churchill step through. The Doctor grinned, nudging Amy in the side.

"Amy?" he said happily. "Winston Churchill." The former – current? - Prime Minister frowned slightly.

"Doctor," he replied with a nod. "Is it you?" The Doctor laughed.

"Oh, Winston, my old friend." The two shared a grin, but then Winston got a gleam in his eye and held out his hand, beckoning. The Doctor smirked.

"Ah, every time," he muttered to Amy and Jenny.

"What's he after?" Amy asked.

"TARDIS key, of course," he responded easily.

"Think of what I could achieve with your remarkable machine, Doctor," Winston urged. "The lives that could be saved."

"Doesn't work like that," Jenny replied. "Sorry, Winston."

"Must I take it by force?" he asked lightly, and the Doctor laughed again.

"I'd like to see you try," he scoffed. Winston laughed again as well, motioned for the soldiers to stand down, and the small group began walking down a darkened corridor, people brushing by with a hurried sense of urgency and barely sparing the newcomers a glance.

"So you've changed your face again," Winston commented as they walked. "And you have new companions as well." The Doctor shrugged.

"Jenny's family, Amy is Amy. As for me, had a bit of work done." Amy's eyes suddenly widened in realization as they continued walking.

"Got it, got it, got it!" she exclaimed. "Cabinet War Rooms, right?" Jenny nodded.

"Top secret heart of the War Office, hidden in plain sight under London," she agreed. "It's brilliant!"

"You're late, by the way," Winston commented as a woman walked up to them holding a clipboard.

"Requisitions, sir," she said. Winston took the papers and glanced through them, while the Doctor was slightly surprised.

"Late?" he asked.

"I rang you a month ago," Winston replied. Jenny turned to look pointedly at her father, who winced.

"Really?" she asked. "You said we were on time!"

"It's a Type 40 TARDIS!" he protested. "She's not exactly new and still calibrating." Jenny sighed, sharing a glance with Amy.

"Something the matter, Breen?" Winston asked the woman, handing her back the papers. "You look a little down in the dumps."

"No, sir," she replied, holding the clipboard tightly and giving a forced smile. "Fine, sir." Winston gave a sympathetic smile.

"Action this day, Breen," he encouraged. "Action this day."

"Yes, sir."

"Excuse me, sir," called another officer. "Got another formation coming in, Prime Minister. Stukas, by the look of them."

"We shall go up top then," Winston said, beckoning to the Doctor, Jenny, and Amy. "We'll give them what for! Coming, Doctor?"

"Why?" Jenny asked warily.

"I have something to show you."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"We stand at a crossroads, Doctor," Winston said as they rode up in the lift. He was smoking a cigar, and Jenny was doing her best to hold her breath. The smell of smoke was making her nauseous. "Quite alone, with our backs to the wall. Invasion is expected daily. So I will grasp with both hands anything that will give us an advantage over the Nazi menace."

"Such as?"

The lift stopped, and the doors slid open.

"Follow me."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They walked up onto a rooftop bathed in sunlight, sandbags lining the edges of the roof and a scientist in a white coat gazing up at the sky with a large pair of binoculars.

"Wow," Amy said after a pause. Winston led them over to the scientist, who turned to greet them.

"Doctor, this is Professor Edwin Bracewell," Winston introduced. "Head of our Ironsides Project." The Doctor grinned, giving a 'V for Victory' salute, but Jenny frowned. She'd never heard of an _Ironside Project_ before in relation to WWII, or... well, ever.

_I know,_ her father's voice suddenly said in the back of her mind. _Something not quite right, don't worry about it just yet._

"How do you do?" Bracewell asked kindly, shaking their hands.

"Two flights JU thirty eights approaching from the east," a man shouted from where he stood watch by the rows of sandbags. Off in the distance, a bomb landed, and Jenny closed her eyes at the thought of all the soldiers dug deep into their trenches fighting for their lives.

"Oh, Doctor, Jenny," Amy whispered. "It's..."

"History," Jenny finished, following her gaze to the barrage balloons hanging over London.

"Ready, Bracewell?" Winston asked, unaware of the conversation between the time travelers.

"Aye aye, sir," Bracewell said with a sharp nod. Planes began to roar in the distance, speeding towards them, and he turned towards a boxed-section of the roof, higher up and surrounded by sandbags. "On my order, fire!"

Energy bolts began to lash out from behind the sandbags, each scoring direct hits on the Nazi aircraft and destroying them in an instant. Jenny felt her hearts sink.

"That wasn't human," she choked out. The Doctor's eyes had narrowed and there was something dark bubbling beneath the surface.

"That was never human technology," he agreed, striding across the roof. "That sounded like- Show me." Nobody moved. "Show me, show us," he repeated. "Show me what that was!"

"Advance," Bracewell ordered. There was a whirring noise and Jenny drew in a sharp breath, eyes wide as she stared at the Dalek. It was painted army green and khaki, with a utility belt around its... waist?... and a Union Flag painted directly underneath its eyestalk.

"What do you think?" Winston said proudly. "Quite something, eh?"

"What are you doing here?" the Doctor snarled.

"_I am your soldier,"_ the Dalek said. Jenny's anger was momentarily replaced by confusion.

"What?"

"_I am your soldier,"_ it repeated.

"Stop this," she snapped. "Stop this now. You know who we are, or at least who he is. You'd always know, what are you doing here?"

"_Your identities are unknown."_

"Perhaps I can clarify things," Bracewell said timidly, stepping forwards. "This is one of my Ironsides."

"Your _what_?" Jenny and the Doctor asked in unison.

"You will help the Allied cause in anyway that you can," Bracewell said.

"_Yes."_

_What's happening, Dad? Why is this happening, how are __they__ here?_

"Until the Germans have been utterly smashed."

"_Yes."_

_I don't know, Jen._

"And what is your ultimate aim?"

"_To win the war!"_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"They're Daleks," the Doctor insisted back in Winston's office. "They're called Daleks."

"They are Bracewell's Ironsides," Winston countered, just as stubborn. "Doctor, Jenny, look. Blueprints, statistics, field tests, photographs." He motioned to the myriads of diagrams on his desk. Jenny picked up a blueprint and began pacing the room with it, ignoring the conversations. Everything was explained, well, as best it could be in terms from this time period, but it wasn't right. She'd seen a Dalek inside its shell, and while these diagrams made sense there was no section to represent where the squid-like creature rested in safety. It was filled with meaningless lines and wires and notes that wouldn't make sense to anybody but a scientist and could therefore be ignored-

She turned the diagram around a few times before tuning back into the conversation just in time to hear the last few words.

"...And totally hostile," the Doctor finished.

"Precisely," Winston agreed. "They will win be the war."

They started into the corridor.

"Why won't you listen to us?" the Doctor asked as they followed Winston. "Why did you call me in if you won't listen to me?"

"When I rang you a month ago, I must admit I had my doubts," Winston replied. "The Ironsides seemed too good to be true."

"Yes," Jenny agreed. "They are. So destroy them. _Exterminate _them!"

"But imagine what I could do with a hundred!" Winston countered. "A thousand!"

"I am imagining," the Doctor said faintly, glancing as a Dalek rolled by with a box before whirling around to Amy. "Amy, tell him."

"Tell him what?"

"About the Daleks."

"What would _I _know about the Daleks?" Jenny looked at her.

"Amy..." she said slowly. "They invaded your world. They dragged the Earth out of orbit, they took people from the streets. You don't forget that. Amy, tell me you remember the Daleks."

"No, sorry," Amy replied, shaking her head.

_That's... not possible._

_Dad, why doesn't she remember?_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

In another room, a few people were managing radios while others pushed figures across the map spread out in the center of the room.

"...Blue Leader to Two Squadron and six-two-three-five-seven, over..."

"Bandits at ten o'clock."

"...two-three-five-seven, over."

Jenny tensed as a Dalek glided past them.

"What are they up to?" she muttered, mostly to herself, but Amy overheard.

"Well, let's just ask, shall we?" she said and strode towards the Dalek, ignoring the Doctor's calls of "Amy... Amelia!" from behind her. Jenny tensed as Amy tapped the Dalek's shell and it swiveled to face her. There was a thick wrench on a nearby table, she could possibly beat at the eyestalk and distract it if she needed to-

"_Can I be of assistance?"_ the Dalek asked.

"Oh," Amy nodded. "Yes, yes. See, my friends reckon that you're dangerous." Her voice dropped to a secretive tone. "That you're an alien. Is that true?"

"_I am your soldier."_

"Yeah, got that bit. Love a squaddie. What else, though?"

"_Please excuse me. I have duties to perform."_

The Doctor watched as it left the room before moving to Winston, pulling the cigar from his mouth and tossing it to one side. "Winston," he begged. "Winston, please."

"We are waging total war, Doctor!" Winston exclaimed. "Day after day the Luftwaffe pound this great city like an iron fist."

"Wait till the Daleks start," Jenny said, coming to her father's side.

"Men, women, and children slaughtered. Families torn apart. Wren's churches in flames."

"Yeah," the Doctor scoffed. "Try the _Earth_ in flames."

"I weep for my country. I weep for my empire." Winston ignored them, moving around the map table. "It is breaking my heart."

"You're resisting, Winston," the Doctor said. "The whole world _knows_ you're resisting. You're a beacon of hope!"

"But for how long? Millions of innocent lives will be saved if I use these Ironsides now."

"Billions will _die_ if you use the Daleks now!" Jenny snapped. "The last time we saw the Daleks they were a few seconds away from destroying the universe."

"_Can I be of assistance?"_

At the metallic voice, Jenny aimed her sonic screwdriver at the Dalek and pressed a button. There was a pause, and then the Dalek quickly backed away a few feet.

_High-pitch frequency above the range of human hearing, but certainly audible to a Dalek and potentially able to mess with their weaponry. Drains the battery, but..._

_You're brilliant, Jen._

"Shut it," the Doctor said to the Dalek, which backed away just a little bit more, and then turned to Winston. "Listen to me, just _listen!_ The Daleks have no conscience, no mercy, no pity. They are my oldest and deadliest enemy. You _cannot_ trust them!"

"If Hitler invaded Hell, I would give a favorable reference to the Devil!" Winston replied heatedly. "These machines are our _salvation!_"

A siren sounded, cutting off their argument.

"Oh, the all-clear." Winston breathed a sigh of relief. "We're safe, for now."

He left, followed by the Dalek. The Doctor leaned back against the wall, absentmindedly turning a cap over in his hands.

"What does hate look like, Amy?" he asked.

"Hate?" Amy asked, confused.

"It looks like a Dalek," Jenny replied as the Doctor threw the cap to one side. "And we're going to prove it."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"_Would you care for some tea?"_ a Dalek asked Bracewell as he worked around a few other scientists. Jenny, Amy, and the Doctor stood in the doorway.

"That would be very nice, thank you," Bracewell said with a smile.

They stepped aside as the Dalek left, then walked towards Bracewell.

"All right, Prof," the Doctor said. "Now, the PM's been filling us in. Amazing things, these Ironsides of yours. Amazing! You must be very proud of them." Bracewell gave a modest smile.

"Just doing my bit."

"Not bad for a Paisley boy," Amy commented, picking up a scanner. Bracewell's smile went from modest to kind.

"Yes, I thought I detected a familiar cadence, my dear," he replied.

"How did you do it?" Jenny asked suddenly. "Come up with these... Ironsides?"

"How does the muse of invention come to anyone?"

_So he doesn't know._

_Exactly._

"But you get a lot of these... clever notions, do you?" Jenny continued.

"Well, ideas just seem to teem from my head!" he exclaimed with a grin. "Wonderful things, like- here, let me show you!" He rushed over to a table covered in diagrams, and the trio followed him. "Some musings on the potential of hypersonic flight. Gravity bubbles that can sustain life outside the terrestrial atmosphere. Came to me in the bath!" Jenny picked up a diagram. These made more sense than the Dalek designs, but still, they were far too advanced.

"Are these your ideas or theirs?" the Doctor asked while Jenny put down the blueprint and then picked up a second one, this one a complex diagram of a plane.

"Oh, no, no, no," Bracewell dismissed. "These robots are entirely under my control, Doctor. They are..."

A Dalek came in with a tray carrying a cup of tea resting on its plunger, which Bracewell accepted.

"Thank you," he said kindly. "The perfect servant, and the _perfect_ warrior."

"We don't know what you're up to, Professor," the Doctor said with a cold glare, "but whatever they've promised you, you _cannot_ trust them. Call them what you like, the Daleks are death!"

"Yes, Doctor," Winston agreed, coming from behind them into the room. "Death to our enemies! Death to the forces of darkness, and death to the Third Reich!"

Jenny's eyes slipped shut as she ignored the little whisper in the back of her mind _a weapon is a weapon and should always be utilized _because she had a _choice_.

"Yes, Winston, and death to everyone else, too!" the Doctor nearly shouted.

"_Would you care for some tea?"_

If it hadn't been so wrong it would have been hilarious, a Dalek coming up to the Doctor and asking if he wanted a drink.

The Doctor sent the tray clattering to the floor. "Stop this!" he shouted. "What are you doing here? What do you _want_?"

"_We seek only to help you."_

Oh, definitely laughable.

"To do what?"

"_To win the war?"_

"But which war?" Jenny cut in.

"_I do not understand."_

"This war?" she pressed. "The war against the Nazis? Or _your_ war? The war against the rest of the universe and all things that are not Dalek?"

"_I do not understand. I am your soldier." _If she didn't know better, she would have thought the word 'solider' was emphasized.

"Oh, yeah?" the Doctor said. "Okay. Okay, _soldier._ Defend yourself!"

And echoing Jenny's thoughts from earlier, he grabbed a massive spanner from the nearest table and began smashing it against the Dalek's armor.

_Bang._

"Doctor, what the devil-?" Winston said. The Dalek backed away slightly, turning its eyestalk away from the blows.

"_You do not require tea?"_

_Bang._

"Stop him!" Bracewell shouted, turning to Winston, but Jenny shook her head, watching with narrowed eyes.

_Bang._

"Doctor!" Winston shouted. "Please, these machines are precious!"

"Come on!" the Doctor snarled. "Fight back! You want to, you know you do!"

_Bang. Bang._

"What are you waiting for? Look, you hate me! You want to kill me. Well, go on, kill me. Kill me!"

Jenny stepped forwards, pulling the hammer from her father's hands.

"_Please desist from striking me. I am your soldier."_

"No," Jenny said coldly. "No, I know what a soldier is, and you are _not _a soldier."

"You are my enemy, and I am yours!" the Doctor shouted, but Jenny's hand on his arm kept him from striking the Daleks again. "You are everything I despise! The worst thing in all creation. I've defeated you time and time again, I've defeated you. I sent you back into the Void, I saved the whole of reality from you."

Soldiers, in Jenny's pre-programmed mind, and _especially_ Daleks, were meant to defend. In this case, a Dalek would always attack when provoked, and it had certainly been provoked enough. The only reason to not fight back when attacked would be for a tactical reason, and the Daleks made no move to do anything.

_Dad, wait-_

"I am the Doctor! And you are the Daleks!"

"_...Correct," _the Dalek finally said. _"Review testimony."_

The Doctor's voice was heard, most likely from some internal speaker. _"I am the Doctor! And you are the Daleks!"_

"What do you mean, testimony?" Jenny demanded. "What are you talking about?"

"_Transmitting testimony now," _said the second Dalek, wheeling forwards. _"Testimony accepted."_

"Get back, all of you," the Doctor said, stumbling backwards and pulling Jenny with him, watching the Dalek with wide eyes.

"Marines!" Winston shouted, backing away with everyone else. "Marines, get in here!"

The two Marines that ran through the door were killed in an instant.

_They wanted you to say they were Daleks._

_But why?_

_Why would I know?_

"Stop it!" Bracewell begged, stepping forwards. Jenny tensed. "Stop it, please! What are you doing? You are my Ironsides!"

"_We are the Daleks!"_

"But I created you!"

"_No."_ If possible, the Dalek would have sounded smug. One of the Daleks twitched its laser weapon and a beam shot out, blasting away Bracewell's left hand. It sparked and spluttered, the stump charred black. Several Gallifreyan expletives flitted through Jenny's mind. _"We created you."_

In unison they started to chant, and the Doctor's grip tightened on Jenny's arm.

"_Victory! Victory! Victory!"_

Then in a flash of light they disappeared.

"...What just happened?" Amy asked.

"I wanted to know what they wanted," the Doctor breathed. "What their plan was. _I _was their plan."

He ran out of the room, Jenny on his heels.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Testimony accepted," the Doctor mumbled as he walked towards the TARDIS. "That's what they said my _testimony_."

"Don't beat yourself up because you were right," Amy said firmly. Jenny shot her a grateful look. "So what do we do? Is this what we do now? Chase after them?"

"This is what _I _do," the Doctor corrected, unlocking the TARDIS doors. Jenny raised an eyebrow.

"What about me?"

"You need to stay here," he replied. Jenny shook her head. "_Yes_, Jen. You need to protect Amy."

"The last time you told me to protect someone, I got sucked into a massive computer run by a child while you were being chased by shadows," she countered. "And do remember that you're now asking me and Amy to stay safe in the middle of the London Blitz. I'm coming with you!"

"No, you aren't! You need to protect Amy. I'll be fine, Jen, I'm always fine."

He stepped into the TARDIS before either of them could protest, and the TARDIS dematerialized.

"What's he expect us to do now?" Amy asked.

"KBO, of course," Winston said from behind them.

"Keep buggering on."

They began heading towards Churchill's office, and Jenny took Winston's seat, leaning forward with her hands pressed together in front of her face, eyes staring ahead with focus and yet not focused on anything in the room.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked.

"My father and I are linked telepathically, I can tap into the bond and figure out what's happening," Jenny replied. "Now hush, you're thinking too loudly."

They turned around as someone rushed into the room.

"Prime Minister," they said. Winston looked at them.

"Yes?"

"Signal from RDF, sir. Unidentified object, hanging in the sky, Captain Childers says. We can't get a proper fix, though. Too far up."

"What do you think, Miss Pond?" Winston asked. "The Doctor's in trouble and now we know where he is."

"Yeah. Right in the middle of everything."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"_How about that cuppa now, then?" the Doctor smirked, coming out of the TARDIS._

"_It is the Doctor!" a third Dalek said, painted in customary gold. _

"_Exterminate!"_

"_Wait! Wait, wait!" The Doctor quickly pulled a round object and held it out in front of him, waving it about. "I wouldn't, if I were you. TARDIS self-destruct, and you know what that means. My ship goes, you all go with it."_

"Idiot," Jenny mumbled. "It's a biscuit."

Amy glanced back at her in confusion.

"_You would not use such a device!"_

"_Try me," the Doctor said. One Dalek rolled forwards, and the Doctor waved the Jammy Dodger around at it._

"_Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!" he said quickly. "No scans, no nothing! One move and I'll destroy us all, you got that? TARDIS bang-bang, Daleks boom!" The Dalek backed away. "Good boy. This ship's pretty beaten up." He looked around the rusting components of the ship. "Running on empty, I'd say, like you. When we last met, you were at the end of your rope. Finished."_

"_One ship survived," a Dalek informed._

"_And you fell back through time, yes. Crippled, dying."_

"_We picked up a trace. One of the Progenitor Devices."_

"_Progenitor?" the Doctor repeated. "What's that?"_

"_It is our past, and our future!"_

"Poetic for a Dalek," Jenny mumbled.

"_Oh? That's deep. That is deep... for a Dalek. What does it mean, though?"_

"_It contains pure Dalek DNA. Thousands were created. All were lost, save one."_

"_Okay," the Doctor said slowly. "Okay, but there's still one thing I don't get, though. If you've got the Progenitor, why build Bracewell?"_

"_It was... necessary."_

"_But why?" The Doctor frowned, but then nodded. "I get it. Oh, I get it, I get it. Oh ho! This is rich!"_

"The Progenitor won't work! Dalek DNA is impure, but his testimony... Oh, that is brilliant! Well, for a Dalek."

"Jenny, we need to go to the Map Room. Jenny. Jenny?"

"_The Progenitor won't recognize you, will it? It saw you as impure. Your DNA is unrecognizable as Dalek!"_

"_A solution was devised!"_

"_Yes, yes, yes. Me. My testimony. So you set a trap. You knew that the Progenitor would recognize me, the Daleks' greatest enemy. It would accept my word- No. No, no, what are you doing?"_

_One of the Daleks had wheeled over to the control panel._

"_Withdraw now, Doctor, or the city dies in flames!" it said._

"_Who are you kidding?" the Doctor scoffed. "This ship is a wreck. You don't have the power to destroy London!"_

"_Watch as the humans destroy themselves!"_

Jenny's eyes flew open. Winston had left, and Amy was standing impatiently at the door.

"Come on!" she said urgently.

In the Map Room, words were flying through the air, orders and shouts of alarm.

"...bombers sighted over the Channel, sir. ETA ten minutes, sir!"

"Here they come," Winston said darkly. "Get a message to Mister Attlee. War Cabinet meeting at oh-three-hundred hours, if we're still all here."

"The Daleks turned the lights on," Jenny breathed.

"We've got to take the fight to the Daleks," Amy said firmly.

"How?" Winston asked, turning to her. "None of our weapons are a match for them."

_I'm a soldier._

"We do, though!" she said suddenly. "A gift, straight from the Daleks!"

She wasn't stupid enough to go up against the Daleks on her own, now.

In the back of her mind, the Doctor's conversation continued.

"_Turn those lights off now! Turn London off or I swear I will use the TARDIS self-destruct!"_

"_Stalemate, Doctor," a Dalek said smugly. "Leave us and return to Earth."_

"_Oh, __that's__ it?" he asked. "__That's__ your great victory? You leave?"_

"_Extinction is not an option. We shall return to our own time and begin again!"_

"_I won't let you get away this time!" the Doctor shouted. "I won't!"_

_There was a whirring noise._

"_We have succeeded!" a Dalek announced. "DNA reconstruction is complete!"_

_The three Daleks backed away from the now glowing doors, which slid open with a hiss, sparking._

"_Observe, Doctor! A new Dalek paradigm!"_

_Five Daleks rolled out of the smoke and the steam while the Doctor stared in horror. They were larger, more deadly. White, blue, yellow, orange, red._

"_The Progenitor has fulfilled our new destiny! Behold, the restoration of the Daleks! The resurrection of the Master race!"_

"Bracewell, put the gun down," Jenny said firmly. The android held a gun in his right hand, not yet aimed at himself but his intentions were clear.

"My life is a lie, and I choose to end it," the scientist replieed.

"In your own time, Paisley boy, because right now we need your help," Amy responded, taking the gun away.

"But... those creatures... my Ironsides... they made me?" Jenny watched with pity in her eyes. "I can remember things. So many things. The last war. The squalor and the mud and the awful, _awful_ misery of it all." He sounded close to tears as he looked up at them. "What am I? What _am _I?"

"What you are, soldier, is on either our side our theirs," Jenny said. "Now, I don't give a damn if you're a machine. I've got two hearts, doesn't make me any less of a person. The question is, Bracewell, are you a man?"

"Listen," Amy stepped in. "I understand. Really, I do. Look, there is a spaceship up there lighting up London like a Christmas tree. Thousands of people will die tonight if we don't stop it, and _you_, Paisley, are the only one who can help take it down."

"I am?" Bracewell asked weakly.

"You're alien technology," Jenny replied. "You're as clever as the Daleks, so start thinking. Come on, Bracewell. You've got gravity bubbles and hypersonic flight. You've got _missiles_, for goodness sake, you've got Dalek weaponry scattered about like sand on a beach!"

"We could send something up there, you say?" Winston questioned. Jenny grinned, her eyes alight.

"Oh, you can do better than that," she said happily. "We're going to start the space program a few decades early. Bracewell, it's time to think big!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"_All hail the new Daleks! All hail the new Daleks!"_

"_You are inferior."_ White's voice was deep, gravelly, more menacing.

"_Yes."_ The Daleks were admitting to imperfection? What?

"_Then prepare."_

"_We are ready!"_ they chorused.

"_Cleanse the unclean!"_ White declared. _"Total obliteration! Disintegrate!"_

The new Daleks turned the other three into mere piles of ash.

"Blimey," the Doctor muttered. "What do you do to the ones who mess up?"

"_You are the Doctor!"_ White said, turning to face him. _"You must be exterminated!"_

The Doctor held out the Jammy Dodger.

"Don't mess with me, sweethearts." The Daleks remained unperturbed.

"_We are the paradigm of a new Dalek race," _White said. _"Scientist." _Orange. _"Strategist." _Blue. _"Drone." _Red. _"Eternal." _Yellow. _"Supreme."_

"Which would be you, I'm guessing." The Doctor and Supreme watched one another warily. "Well, you know, nice paint job. I'd be feeling pretty swish if I looked like you. Pretty... supreme. Question is, what do we do now? Either you turn off your clever machine or I'll blow you and your new paradigm-" The word was practically sneered instead of spoken. "-into eternity."

"_And yourself," _Supreme pointed out.

"Occupational hazard," the Doctor countered with a shrug.

"_Scan reveals nothing!" _Strategist announced from a terminal. _"TARDIS self-destruct device non-existent!"_ The Doctor rolled his eyes, biting into the cookie.

"All right, it's a Jammy Dodger!" he said, chewing the sweet. "But I was promised tea."

An alarm began to sound, and Strategist went back to the scanner.

"_Alert!" _it shouted. _"Unidentified projectile approaching! Correction, multiple projectiles!"_

"_What have the humans done?" _Supreme demanded. The Doctor beamed.

"I don't know."

"_Explain! Explain! Explain!"_

"_Danny Boy to the Doctor," _came a voice, a refreshing, _human_ voice, from the speakers. _"Danny Boy to the Doctor. Are you receiving me? Over."_

"_Come on, Dad, pick up the phone! You have a phone box for a reason, you know."_

"Loud and clear, Danny Boy!" the Doctor shouted, looking up, a wide grin spreading over his features. "Jenny, are you flying a Spitfire in outer space?"

"_'Course I am, I'm your daughter!" _Jenny laughed. _"All right, everyone! Big dish, side of the ship. Blow it up! Over!"_

"_Exterminate the Doctor!"_ Supreme roared. The Doctor ducked into the TARDIS just in time, slamming the doors shut behind him and bounding up to the console.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"_You heard him," _Churchill's voice crackled over the speakers. _"Target that dish. Send in all we've got."_

"Understood," Jenny replied.

"_Broadsword to Danny Boy. Target the dish and stop that signal. Over."_

"_Understood, sir. You can count on us. Over."_

"Okay, chaps!" Jenny said. "Let's put London back under the cover of darkness." They zoomed towards the dish sending the signal down towards London. None of their shots seemed to hit, however, and Jubilee was sent spiraling off into an explosion as they pulled out.

"_We've lost Jubilee, sir," _Danny Boy said. _"Over."_

"_Go in again. Over."_

A sharp pull out of the range of enemy fire had Jenny's head spinning, and they lost Flintlock.

"_Flintlock's down, and the dish seems to be protected. Over."_

"Just you and me, Danny Boy," Jenny said. "Dad, anything you can do?"

"_The Doctor to Danny Boy and Jenny. The Doctor to Danny Boy and Jenny. I can disrupt the Dalek shields, but not for long. Over."_

"_Good show, Doctor. Go to it, over. We're going in. Wish me luck. Over."_

They zoomed forwards towards the unprotected dish in tandem, and Jenny let out a whoop of joy as the dish exploded into nothing.

"We did it!"

"_Danny Boy to the Doctor. Going in for another attack."_

"_The Doctor to Danny Boy, the Doctor to Danny Boy. Destroy this ship. Over."_

"_What about you, Doctor?"_

"_I'll be fine, I have a TARDIS."_

And again they went forwards.

Jenny relished the adrenaline pouring through her veins, basked in the thrum of the double heartbeat pounding in her ears.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"_Doctor, call off your attack."_

The Doctor looked at Supreme on the TARDIS screen in the wall.

"What, and let you scuttle off back to the future?" he scoffed. "No fear. This is the end, for you. The _final _end."

"_Call off the attack, or we will destroy the Earth." _Now he outright laughed.

"I'm not stupid, mate. You've just played your last card."

"_Bracewell is a bomb."_

The Doctor froze. In the back of his mind, he felt Jenny hesitate as she flew towards the Dalek ship- _what was he __thinking__ letting her do that_.

"You're bluffing," he said quickly, narrowing his eyes. "Deception's second nature to you. There isn't a sincere bone in your body! There isn't a _bone_... in your body." The last part was added with a slight amount of confusion.

"_His power is derived from an Oblivion Continuum. Call off your attack, or we will detonate the android."_

"No," he said. "No! This is my best chance _ever_. The last of the Daleks! I can rid the universe of you, once and for all."

"_Then do it," _Supreme replied. _"But we will shatter the planet below. The Earth will die screaming."_

"Yeah, and if I let you go, you'll be stronger than ever. A new race of Daleks."

"_Then choose, Doctor. Destroy the Daleks or save the Earth! Begin countdown of Oblivion Continuum. Choose, Doctor! Choose! Choose!"_

The Doctor turned to the TARDIS console.

"The Doctor to Danny Boy and Jenny. The Doctor to Danny Boy and Jenny. Withdraw."

"_Say again, sir? Over."_

"_Dad, what do you mean?"_

"Withdraw," he repeated. "Return to Earth. Over and out."

"_But sir-"_

"There's no time! You have to return to Earth _now_. Over."

The TARDIS materialized in the filing room where it had first appeared.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor ran into the Map Room, pushing Amy to one side and punching Bracewell in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Doctor!" Amy shrieked. The Doctor shook his hand before kneeling down.

"Ow. Sorry, Professor, you're a bomb." He ripped open Bracewell's shirt and pointed the sonic at his torso, which slid open to reveal a metal core with a timer. "An inconceivably _massive _Dalek bomb."

"What?" Bracewell gaped, glasses askew.

"There's an Oblivion Continuum inside you. A captured wormhole that provides perpetual power. Detonate that, and the Earth will bleed through into another dimension!"

One of five blue segments on the timer turned yellow. The Doctor's hands flitted about nervously as he stared down.

"Well?" Amy asked as everyone crowded about.

"I don't know, don't know, don't know!" he said frantically. "Never seen him up close before."

_They've wired him to detonate?!_

"No, Jen! He _is_ a _bomb_. Walking, talking, _pow_, exploding! The moment that flashes red!"

_Do you want me to go after the Daleks? We have enough fuel to pull back out of the atmosphere._

"No, Jen, and don't think you're getting away with this. Amy, not helping!"

"It's incredible," Winston breathed. "He talked to us about his memories. The Great War."

"Someone else's stolen thoughts, implanted in a positronic brain. Tell me about it. Bracewell! Tell me about your life."

"Doctor, I really don't think this is the time-" Bracewell began, glasses still knocked askew.

_Tell him, and prove you're human!_

"Tell me, and prove you're human! Tell me everything!" Bracewell stuttered as he spoke.

"My family ran the post office. It's a little place just near the abbey, just by the ash trees," he started. "There used to be eight trees, but there was a storm."

"And your parents?" the Doctor prompted. "Come on, tell me."

"Good people," Bracewell replied. "Kind people. They- they died. Scarlet fever."

"What was that like?" the Doctor continued. "How did it _feel_? How did it make you feel, Edwin? Tell me! Tell me now."

"It hurt," he moaned. "It hurt, Doctor, it hurt so badly. It was like a wound. I thought it was worse than a wound. Like I'd been emptied out. There was nothing left."

_Break the connection, make him think he's human. Humans thrive on emotions, that's what makes them._

The first segment had gone from yellow to red, as had the second. The third flickered from blue to yellow.

"Good," the Doctor said. "Remember it now, Edwin. The ash trees by the post office and your mum and dad, and losing them, and the men in the trenches you saw die. Remember it. Feel it. You feel it because you're _human_. You're not like them. You're not like the Daleks."

"It hurts, Doctor," he nearly whimpered. "It hurts so much."

_Dad, I've nearly landed._

_I can't stop it, Jen!_

_He's human, he can feel emotion, but- Dad, pain and sadness, that would lead to bitterness and hate. That's Dalek, that would increase the bomb's progression!_

Four red segments, and the fifth flickered to yellow.

"It's not working," he said faintly, sitting back. "I can't stop it." Amy gently pushed him to one side before kneeling down.

"Hey, Paisley," she said quietly. "Ever fancied someone you know you shouldn't?"

"W-what?" She gave a crooked smile.

"It hurts, doesn't it? But a good kind of hurt."

"...I really shouldn't talk about her."

The smile grew.

"Oh, there's a _her_!" The yellow flickered back to blue. "What was her name."

"Dorabella," Bracewell breathed.

"Dorabella?" the Doctor repeated with a laugh, causing Amy to glare and Bracewell to look at him. Jenny gave the mental equivalent. "It's a lovely name," he said quickly. "It's a beautiful name."

"What was she like, Edwin?" Amy prompted.

"Oh, such a smile... And her eyes. Her eyes were so blue..." Bracewell's eyes turned glassy and distant as he drifted back through memories. "Almost violet. Like the last touch of sunset on the edge of the world... Dorabella..."

The segments returned to blue, and the Doctor's grin would outshine the sun. Jenny, decked in a pilot's outfit, leaned against the doorframe with a grin.

"Welcome to the human race," she said happily. The Doctor jumped to his feet, pointing at Winston.

"You're brilliant," he said happily, then turned to Bracewell. "You're brilliant!" Then to Amy. "And you, I-" He pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead before doing the same to Jenny.

"Don't every do anything that idiotic again," he said firmly. Jenny smirked.

"I bet if you asked nicely they'd let you ride in a Spitfire."

"...You think so?"

"Maybe."

"Okay, but never mind that, we need to stop the Daleks!" He grabbed her by the hand and began pulling her towards the TARDIS, but Bracewell, who was on his feet, shirt rebuttoned, called after them.

"It's too late," he said. "They've gone." The Doctor turned back around.

"No," he breathed. "No! They can't! They can't have got away from me again!"

"No," Bracewell said sadly. "I can feel it. My mind is clear. The Daleks have gone."

Jenny rested a hand on her father's shoulder.

"Hey, it's fine," she said. "You stopped a bomb and saved the Earth, and I got to fly a plane."

"I had a choice," he whispered. "And they knew I'd choose the Earth. The Daleks have won, Jen. They beat me. They've won."

Amy joined them, standing at the Doctor's other side.

"But you save the Earth," she pointed out. "Not too shabby, is it?" The Doctor mustered up a smile.

"No. Not too shabby."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They stood in the Map Room again, Winston arguing stubbornly with the Doctor.

"I've taken out all the alien tech Bracewell put in," he said.

"I did steal a few schematics, mind, but the human race isn't ready for that yet," Jenny added. In actuality, she might have smuggled away half a dozen Spitfires and other technology that she found interesting, but Winston didn't need to know that.

"Won't you reconsider, Doctor, Jenny?" Winston pleaded. "Those Spitfires would win me the war in twenty hours!"

"Exactly," Jenny replied. "Doesn't work like that. There are horrible days to come, Winston, and it's going to be tough. Dark days, the darkest days. But you can do it. You don't need us, or any fancy tech. The world has got Winston Spencer Churchill."

Winston smiled.

"It's been a pleasure, Doctor, as always," he said, hugging the Doctor, then Jenny, and Amy gave a kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye, Doctor, Jenny. Goodbye, Ms. Pond."

"It's- it's been amazing, meeting you," Amy said with a grin.

"I'm sure it has," Winston replied, turning and walking away.

"Oi, Churchill!" Amy called before he left the room, holding her hand out expectantly. "TARDIS key. The one you just took from the Doctor. And Jenny's sonic."

Father and daughter frantically started checking their pockets before turning to gape at Winston, who chuckled and handed them their respective items.

"Oh, she's good, Doctor," he laughed. "As sharp as a pin. Almost as sharp as me! But farewell, Doctor, and may we meet again!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I've been expecting you, Doctor," Bracewell said glumly as the trio walked into the laboratory. "I knew this moment had to come."

"...Moment?" he asked after a pause.

"It's time to deactivate me."

They shared a glance before making a unanimous decision. Bracewell rattled on, unaware of their new pact.

"You have no choice. I'm Dalek technology, can't allow me to go pottering around down here where I have no business."

"No, you're right," Jenny said with a nod. "Completely right. Hundred percent correct. A-plus, et cetera. And by the time we all get back here in... what, ten minutes?"

"Fifteen," Amy corrected. "More like fifteen."

"Fifteen minutes," the Doctor agreed. "Then you'll be so deactivated... it's going to be like you've never been activated."

"Yup," Amy agreed.

"Fifteen minutes?" Bracewell repeated.

"More like twenty, actually," Jenny continued. "Once Dad and Pond and I see to the urgent... thing... we've got to see too. The... the... see?" Internally, she winced at the excuse. The Doctor's laughter rang in her mind.

_Oh, like you would have come up with better._

"Very well," Bracewll sighed, sitting heavily in his chair. "I shall wait and prepare myself." Amy rolled her eyes.

"Dalek tech, bit slow on the uptake, no?" she joked.

"That thing we've got to do, realistically, might take half an hour," the Doctor mused. "Or more. Right, Jen?"

"Probably more," Jenny agreed. "So, you know, don't run off while we disappear in our slightly unreliable time machine."

_Don't diss my TARDIS!_

_Sorry! Sorry, slip of the tongue._

"Don't go trying to find that little post office or anything, with the ash trees, or that girl. What was her name? Dorabella, yes! On _no_ account go looking for her. At all. No account whatsoever."

The penny finally dropped, and a grin bloomed on Bracewell's features.

"Right, come on," the Doctor said. "We need to see to that... thing... we need to see to."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So, you have enemies then?" Amy asked as they stood in front of the TARDIS.

"Everyone's got enemies," he replied.

"Yeah, but mine's the woman outside Budgens with the mental Jack Russel," Amy laughed. "You've got, like, you know, _arch_-enemies."

"Suppose so," Jenny said, as though the idea had never occurred to her before.

"And here's me thinking we'd just be running through time, being daft and fixing stuff," the Scottish woman continued, her humor fading. "But... it's dangerous."

"Very," the Doctor responded. "Is that a problem?"

"I'm still here, aren't I?" she countered. The Doctor gave a half-hearted smile. "You're worried about the Daleks."

"I'm always worried about the Daleks," he replied.

"I just don't like them," Jenny muttered. "But it should take time. They need to rebuild, and that takes time. But the one thing I don't get... there's something we've forgotten."

"Or, rather, something _you_ have," the Doctor replied, looking at Amy.

"Me?"

"You didn't know them, Amy. You'd never seen them before. And you should have."

The TARDIS faded away to reveal a crack spreading across the back wall.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**Written while sick (and I have been for a while) underneath the watchful eye of my Dalek plushie at one in the morning. Apologies for the long wait, consider this an early Christmas gift. Or a late Hanukkah present.**

**At any rate, happy holidays!**

**(And look, the world didn't end! What a surprise!)**


	16. The Time of Angels

Jenny nearly skipped through the museum exhibits. Granted, they were wandering around while the museum was closed since technically her father had gotten himself banned due to an unfortunate incident with three chickens, the Liberty Bell, and something about a cat, but it was still the principle of it all. It was rare that they could go on an outing in which they actually meant to enjoy themselves and not get thrown into life-threatening situations. She _did_ tend to have the most fun on those (flying a Spitfire and riding a Dalek being two of the more memorable occasions) but it was always nice to just sit back and relax...

"Wrong!"

She was jolted out of her musings as her father let out another exclamations and pointed at an exhibit.

"Wrong!" he shouted again, then spun around to look at another display. "Bit right, mostly wrong. I love museums, aren't they brilliant, Jen?"

"Fantastic!" she said happily.

"Yes, but you promised me a planet next," Amy said impatiently from behind them. "Big spaceship, Churchill's bunker, but no planet."

"Oh, come on, you can't tell me this isn't amazing," Jenny laughed, falling back a few steps to loop an arm over Amy's shoulders. "It's the Delerium Archive, Amy! The final resting place of the Headless Monks, _the biggest museum _in this section of the _galaxy_!"

"You've got a time machine," Amy pointed out, although she was smiling slightly. "What do you need museums for?"

"They're fun!" Jenny replied happily. "And they've got gift shops!"

"Wrong!" the Doctor shouted from ahead of them. "_Very_ wrong! Ooo, one of mine! And also one of mine!"

"It's also how he keeps score, but my ego isn't quite that big." Now Amy laughed outright, and they came up behind the Doctor, who was peering into a glass case at a scorched black box. "Why are we looking at a box?"

"It's a Home Box, Jen!" the Doctor said, looking back at her with a _come-on-notice-these-things _expression. "From one of the old starliners." Jenny sighed, looked down at the box, but then her eyes widened.

"What's a Home Box?" Amy asked.

"Like a black box on a plane, but it homes," the Doctor answered, running around to the opposite side of the case to look at it from a different angle.

"What he _means_ is that if anything happens to the spaceship, the Home Box, made out of Dwarf Star Alloy and therefore essentially indestructible, flies home with all the data. But we don't care about that, we care about the graffiti."

"Old High Gallifreyan," the Doctor continued. "The lost language of the Time Lords, I've been teaching it to Jenny for a while now."

"There were days," Jenny said quietly. "There were so many days, when words like this could burn stars, could raise up empires from stardust, could topple gods."

"So what does it say?" Amy asked. The Doctor and Jenny shared a glance.

"'Hello, sweeties'," they replied in dry unison.

As they ran back to the TARDIS, armed guards chasing behind them, Jenny sighed.

_So much for a normal trip to the museum..._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Why are we doing this?" Amy asked as the Doctor set the Home Box down on the console, plugging a few wires while Jenny dragged the scanner over.

"Because someone on a spaceship twelve thousand years ago-" the Doctor began.

"-a very specific someone, I might add-" Jenny continued.

"-is trying to attract our attention," the Doctor finished. "Let's see if we can get the playback working."

A moment later, a black and white image began playing on the screen. A woman in a long black dress, heels, tinted glasses and some impressively curly hair winked at the camera before walking on.

"_The party's over, Doctor Song. Yet you're still on board."_

The Doctor and Jenny shared yet another glance.

_That's River, Dad. River Song. The woman from the Library._

_I noticed._

"_Sorry, Alistair," _River replied. _"I needed to see what was in your vault. Do you all know what's down there? Any of you? Because I'll tell you something. This ship won't reach its destination." _The man named Alistair smirked and motioned to the armed guards flanking him.

"_Wait till she runs. Don't make it look like an execution." _River simply smirked, looking up at the camera.

"_Triple seven five slash three four nine by ten, zero twelve slash acorn. Oh, and I could do with an air corridor."_

The Doctor ran to the other side of the console, typing in coordinates, while Jenny hooked a few other wires together to stabilize an air corridor.

"What was she saying?" Amy asked. "That was just a load of numbers."

"Coordinates," Jenny corrected.

"_Like I said on the dance floor, you might want to find something to hang on to."_

The Doctor nearly leaped to the door as he flung it open, holding one hand out. The air corridor held steady, and a moment later...

...River Song fell through the TARDIS doors and landed on top of him.

"Doctor?" Amy asked slowly. Jenny bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"River?" the Doctor said in confusion. The woman didn't respond, getting up and pulling the Doctor to his feet as they looked out the open doors. The ship was disappearing into the distance.

"Follow that ship!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"They're going into warp drive!" River shouted as the TARDIS shook around them. Jenny repressed a snicker at the red high heels hanging from the scanner, but sobered quickly. This was _River_... the woman they had seen die. "We're losing them! Stay close!"

"I'm trying!" the Doctor shouted in return.

"Use the stabilizers!" she called.

"There aren't any stabilizers!"

Jenny glanced at a set of blue switches at the same time as River did.

"The blue switches," they said at the same time. The Doctor looked between the two of them rapidly before returning to his chaotic dance around the console, trying to keep them locked onto the ship.

"Oh, the blue ones don't do anything!" he replied. "They're just blue!"

"Yes, they're _blue_," River replied in exasperation. "Look, they're the _blue_ stabilizers!"

She reached over and flipped the rows of switches down, and the TARDIS ceased shaking. Jenny glared at her father.

"You told me those didn't work!" she replied.

"Yeah, but now it's just boring!" he protested. "They're boring-ers. They're- blue- _boring-ers_." Each word was punctuated by an angry flip of the switch.

"Doctor, how come she can fly the TARDIS?" Amy asked, looking between the three. The Doctor, wearing an expression reminiscent of a three year-old, sat down with a huff in one of the chairs.

"You call that flying the TARDIS?" he scoffed. "Ha!" River gave a sidelong glance to the Doctor, then winked at Jenny, pulling the scanner around.

"Okay," she said smugly. "I've mapped the probability vectors, done a fold-back on the temporal isometry, charted the ship to its destination, and parked us right alongside!"

"Parked us?" The Doctor's tone was laced with disbelief. "We haven't landed!"

"Of course we've landed," River replied with a smirk. "I just landed her."

"But- it didn't make the noise." Jenny sighed.

"Here we go again." Her father looked at her.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" he asked. She gave him a pointed look.

"All TARDISes make that noise because of a fault in the original design, namely the temporal hardwiring that keeps us from careening off into the Vortex whenever we make a trip. It creates friction with the fractal gears, hence the noise. It could be fixed, but it increases the probability of an accident unless done properly. We _both_ know how to fix it properly, but you insist on leaving the brakes on!"

"I like the noise!" the Doctor protested. "It's a brilliant noise, I love that noise! Come on, Jenny, we both know that the-"

Here, he did his best to imitating the whooshing _vworp-vworp-vworp_ of the TARDIS and failed miserably.

"-is a brilliant noise." Jenny simply shrugged, and the Doctor bounced up from the chair and went towards the doors. "Come along, Pond! Let's have a look."

"Environment checks!" River called after him. The Doctor paused, looked back, then nodded.

"Oh, yes, sorry," he mumbled. "Quite right. Environment checks."

He turned around, opened the door and looked outside.

"Nice out," he said, coming back in.

Jenny sighed.

"We're somewhere in the Garn Belt," River said, looking at the scanner. "There's an atmosphere. Early indications suggest that-"

"We're on Alfaya Matraxis, the seventh planet of the Dundra System," the Doctor cut in, looking back outside before turning to give River a smug grin. "Oxygen rich atmosphere, all toxins in the soft band, eleven hour day and..." Here he paused to look back out the door. "...chances of rain later on." River looked towards Jenny and Amy.

"He thinks he's so hot when he does that," she said in a fake whisper.

"How come you can fly the TARDIS?" Amy asked in curiosity.

"Oh, I had lessons from the very best," River smiled, pulling her shoes from the scanner and walking to the door. The Doctor smirked as she walked past, but she returned the smirk, patting him on the shoulder. "It's a shame you were busy that day." The smirk dropped. "Right, then, why did they land here?"

"They didn't land," the Doctor replied. "You should've checked the Home Box. It _crashed_." He opened the door for River, who stepped outside in confusion.

"Explain," Amy said as soon as River was gone. "Who is that and how did she do that museum thing?" The Doctor began to walk back to the console.

"It's a long story and I don't know most of it. Off we go."

"What are you doing?" Jenny asked sharply as he moved around the console. He glanced up at her.

"Leaving," he replied in a tone saying that he thought the answer was obvious. "She's got where she wants to go, let's go where we want to go."

"You're running away?" Amy said.

"Yep."

"_Why?_"

"Because she's my future, _our_ future. The future of Jenny and I."

"Can you run away from that?"

"I can run away from anything I like! Time is _not_ the boss of me." Jenny's look darkened.

"Hey, isn't that a planet out there?" she said lightly. "Because I remember you promised Amy a planet." Amy grinned, and turned to the Doctor.

"Five minutes?" she asked with an expression so innocent the Doctor looked away with a glare.

"Fine," he mumbled. "Go on, five minutes."

Amy let out a cheer and rushed to the doors.

Jenny turned on the Doctor as soon as she left.

"What was that about?" He looked genuinely confused.

"What was what about?" She groaned, making frustrated motions with her hands.

"_That_! The whole- the- She saved our _lives_, Dad! She saved our lives and the lives of four thousand people! Foreknowledge is dangerous, yeah, but she knows us. You can't just keep running from this!"

She followed Amy and River's path out of the TARDIS doors, and the Doctor slowly followed after.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The once beautiful and sleek spaceship was now a burning wreck half-sticking out of a building carved into the side of a rock cliff.

"What caused it to crash?" Amy asked as Jenny walked up behind her.

"Not me," River commented from where she was standing a few feet away, using a small handheld communicator – well, Jenny was assuming it was a communicator.

"Airlock would have sealed seconds after you blew it," Jenny mused, looking up at the wreckage. "Home Box said the warp engines had a phase shift, no survivors."

"A phase shift would have to be sabotage," River replied, looking up. "I did warn them."

"About what?" the Doctor asked. River ignored him.

"Well, at least the building was empty," she said, returning her attention to the scanner. "Aplan temple, unoccupied for centuries."

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Amy whispered to Jenny, although the Doctor heard.

"Amy Pond," he said almost reluctantly, motioning to River. "Professor River Song." River gave a short gasp of surprise.

"Ah, I'm going to be a professor some day, am I?" she asked excitedly before her grin turned mischievous. "How exciting! Spoilers!"

_It said 'doctor' in the recording from the Home Box._

_Yes, yes, I know..._

The Doctor began to stalk back towards the TARDIS, and Amy leaned over to Jenny again.

"Who is she, and how did she do that?" she whispered to her. "She just left you two a message on a box in a museum."

"Two things always guaranteed to show up in a museum," River said, being the one to overhear this time. "The Home Box of a Catergory 4 starliner and sooner or later, the Doctor and his daughter. It's how he keeps score."

"It's hilarious, isn't it?" Jenny asked with a grin. The three woman laughed, and the Doctor turned around to stalk back.

"I'm nobody's taxi service!" he said with a sarcastic laugh before turning to River. "I'm not going to be there to catch you every time you feel like jumping out of a spaceship." River just laughed.

"And you are _so_ wrong." He turned to walk away again, and she called after him. "There's one survivor!" He stopped. "There's a thing in the belly of that ship that can never die." Then, in a lower tone to Jenny and Amy, "Now he's listening." She took her communicator and began walking, heels in one hand, speaking. "You lot in orbit, yet? … Yeah, I saw it land. … I'm at the crash site. Try and home in on my signal." She held up the device, then turned back to the Doctor. "Doctor, can you sonic me? I need to boost the signal so we can use it as a beacon!"

The Doctor glared, so Jenny pulled out her own sonic and waved it in River's direction. The woman laughed and mock-curtsied.

"Ooo, Doctor!" Amy laughed. "She asked you to _sonic_ her." The Doctor glared, Jenny just grinned, and River walked back over.

"We have a minute," she said, holding up a familiar, although somewhat newer, TARDIS-styled diary. "Shall we? Where are we up to? Have we done the Bone Meadows?" Jenny shook her head, and River started flipping through the pages.

"What's the book?" Amy asked.

"Stay away from it," was all the Doctor said.

"What _is_ it though?" Amy repeated.

"Her diary," Jenny said.

"_Our_ diary," River corrected.

"It holds her past, but our future," Jenny elaborated. "Time travel, we keep meeting in the wrong order."

Their conversation was cut short as four columns of dust appeared, then disappeared to reveal four soldiers in their place. One of them, an older man, walked over to River.

"You promised me an army, Doctor Song," he said, looking down at her.

"No," she replied. "I promised you the _equivalent _of an army. This is the Doctor and Jenny." The soldier stiffened and turned to the two with a sharp salute.

"Father Octavian, sir, ma'am," he said. "Bishop, second class. Twenty clerics at my command. The troops are already in the drop ship and landing shortly." Jenny nodded. "Doctor Song was helping us with a covert investigation. Has Doctor Song explained what we're dealing with?"

"Doctor, Jenny, what do you know of the Weeping Angels?" River asked, and Jenny could have sworn her hearts skipped a beat.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Night had fallen outside, and the rest of the troops had come with supplies, setting up camp around the drop ship.

"The Angel," Octavian was explaining, "as far as we know, is still trapped in the ship. Our mission is to get inside and neutralize it."

_You can't neutralize an Angel, Dad._

_I know._

_So why are we here?_

He didn't reply.

"We can't get up through the top, we'd be too close to the drives. According to this," he held up a device similar to River's, this one with a map, "behind the cliff face there's a network of catacombs leading right up to the temple. We can blow through the base of the cliffs, get into the entrance chamber, then make our way up."

"Oh, good," the Doctor said, his hand finding Jenny's and squeezing it tightly, more for his reassurance than hers.

"Good, sir?" Octavian repeated.

"Catacombs," he said. "Probably dark ones. Dark catacombs, great!"

"Technically, I think it's called a 'Maze of the Dead'."

"You can stop talking now," Jenny cut in, feeling her father tense even more. Octavian excused himself, and Jenny looked at her father.

"I'll be fine," she said quietly. "We'll get out of this." He just squeezed her hand again and shifted so Amy could come and sit down next to them.

"You're letting people call you sir and ma'am," she said. "You never do that... So, whatever a Weeping Angel is, it's really bad, yeah?"

"You're still here," the Doctor said suddenly. "What part of 'wait in the TARDIS until we tell you it's safe' was so confusing?"

"I, personally, don't remember you saying that," Jenny said in response for Amy.

"Are you all Mr Grumpy Face today?" Amy asked teasingly.

"Jen, teach me something," the Doctor sighed. Jenny paused.

"A Weeping Angel," she said slowly, "is the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life form evolution has ever produced. It is a creature made of stone, but only when you look at it. But they're fast, incredibly fast. If you blink, turn your head, look away for just a moment, then they can move, and they will find you. Of course, you can't kill a stone, and they're harmless while you look at them because a stone can't kill you unless someone throws it at you, but you blink, it's not stone, and oh yes it _can_."

"Right now," the Doctor continued. "Right now, I'm expected to climb into the wreckage of a ship to find it, with my _daughter_, I might add, armed with a screwdriver and a torch, _and, _assuming I survive the radiation and assuming the whole ship doesn't blow up in my face, do something incredibly clever which I haven't actually thought of yet. Any questions?"

"Is River Song your wife?"

Jenny, who had already opened her mouth to answer, closed it with an audible _click_. The Doctor paused. "Because she's someone from her future, and the way she talks to you... I've never seen anyone do that. She's kind of like... you know, _heel, boy_. She's Mrs. Doctor from the future, isn't she? Is she going to be your wife one day?"

"Yes."

Jenny, who had again opened her mouth to speak, again closed it abruptly.

"You're right," the Doctor continued. "I am definitely Mr. Grumpy Face today."

River poked her head out of the drop ship. "Doctor? Doctor! Jenny!"

The trio got up and walked towards the shuttle, and River motioned for Octavian to come over as well.

"Why do they call him Father?" Amy asked as they walked.

"He's their Bishop, their his Clerics," the Doctor replied. "It's the fifty-first century, the Church has moved on."

Inside the drop ship, a grainy recording of a Weeping Angel was playing on a four second loop on a monitor mounted on the wall.

"What do you think?" River asked them. "It's from the security cameras in the Byzantium vault. I ripped it when I was on board. Sorry about the quality, it's four seconds. I've put it on loop."

"Yeah, it's an Angel," the Doctor said grimly. "Hands covering its face."

"You've encountered the Angels before," Octavian stated.

"Once, on Earth, a long time ago," the Doctor replied. "But- those were scavengers, barely surviving. Where did this one come from?"

"Pulled from the ruins of Razbahan," River said. "End of last century. It's been in private hands ever since. Dormant all that time."

"There's a difference between dormant and patient," the Doctor replied.

"So... we look away from that, and it moves?" Amy asked warily, watching the recording.

"This is just a recording," River assured. "But yes. The Weeping Angels can only move if they're unseen, so legend has it."

"It's not legend, it's a quantum lock," Jenny corrected. "Being a stone until you turn your back."

The Doctor took a deep breath and walked out, Jenny quickly trailing after, followed by Octavian and River.

"The hyperdrive would've split on impact," the Doctor said. "That whole ship's going to be flooded with drive burn radiation-"

"-cracked electrons, gravity storms, not to mention the possibility of the infrastructure collapsing on top of us-" Jenny continued.

"-all deadly to almost any living thing," the Doctor finished. Octavian glanced between the two.

"Deadly to an Angel?" River prompted.

"Dinner to an Angel," the Doctor said, shooting down that idea. "The longer we leave it there, the stronger it will grow. Who built that temple? Are they still around?"

"Aplan temple," Jenny replied before either River or Octavian could answer. "If it's been unoccupied for centuries, it's unlikely they're still around."

"They died out four hundred years ago," River added helpfully.

"Two hundred years later, the planet was terraformed," Octavian said. "Currently there are six billion colonists."

"Whoo!" the Doctor exclaimed. "You lot, you're everywhere! You're like rabbits. I'll never get done saving you."

"Then we'll always have something to do," Jenny joked, trying to lighten the mood. It seemed to help a little bit with her father, but Octavian remained as grim as ever.

"Sir, ma'am, if there is a clear and present danger to the local population-" he started.

"Oh, there is," the Doctor cut in. "Bad as it gets. Bishop, lock and load!"

Octavian turned around and began firing orders, motioning for River to follow. River ignored him and began walking over to a table full of equipment.

"Two minutes," she dismissed. "Sweeties, I need you!"

"Sweeties?" the Doctor said, looking at Jenny. She shrugged.

"Don't know what's made me eligible for the name," she replied. "Doesn't matter. Come on."

They joined River at the table.

"I found this," she said, picking up a book and handing it to them. "Definitive work on the Angels. Well, the only one, really. Written by a madman."

_My kind of book._

_Hush, Dad._

"It's barely readable, but I've marked a few pages." The Doctor took the book from her outstretched hand before flipping through the pages quickly, then passing it to Jenny who did the same.

"Not bad," he said. "Bit slow in the middle."

"Don't like his girlfriend, much," Jenny replied, handing the book back. The Doctor laughed before frowning.

"No, no, hang on. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." He sniffed the book before flipping back through the pages.

"Doctor Song?" Amy called from the drop shuttle. "Did you have more than one clip of the Angel?"

"No, just the four seconds," River called back. Amy nodded and ducked back through the door.

"This book is wrong!" the Doctor said, looking at it as if his glare would make it tell him all of its secrets. "What's wrong with this book? It's wrong!"

"It's so strange when you go all baby face," River said, looking down at her diary. "Jenny, you don't change much, dear, but it's always amusing with him. How early is this for you?"

"Very early," the Doctor muttered.

"So you don't know who I am yet?" she smirked.

"How do you know who we are?" Jenny asked. "He doesn't always look the same."

"I've got pictures of all of his faces," she said. "He never shows up in the right order, though. I need the spotter's guide."

"So you don't-" Jenny started, but then her father suddenly interrupted.

"Pictures!" he exclaimed. "Why aren't there pictures? This whole book, it's a warning about the Weeping Angels, so why no pictures? Why not show us what to look for?"

"There was a bit about images," Jenny said suddenly, grabbing the book away. "Um... here! 'That which holds the image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel'. Don't like the sound of that."

"_Doctor!"_

Jenny's eyes widened at Amy's shout, and she bit back a curse before tearing across the camp to the door of the drop ship, which had locked itself shut.

"_Doctor, it's in the room!"_

"Amy!" she shouted, banging on the door. The Doctor and River were mere seconds behind her.

"_Doctor! Jenny!"_

"Are you all right?" the Doctor asked urgently, standing next to Jenny. "What's happening?"

"_Doctor? Doctor, Jenny, it's coming out of the television! The Angel is here."_

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and began trying to disable the keypad lock. Jenny gave him the opportunity to work and pressed her ear to the door, as though being that tiniest bit closer would help.

"Don't take your eyes off of it!" she called. "Keep looking! It can't move if you're looking, Amy!"

The Doctor let out a shout of frustration and slammed his hand against the side of the ship.

"What's wrong?" River asked quickly.

"Deadlocked," he snapped in reply.

"There is no deadlock," she countered.

"I know!"

"Don't blink, Amy!" Jenny called again.

"What are you doing?" River asked as the Doctor tried a different approach, moving to a separate panel. Jenny aimed her own sonic at the keypad, all the while keeping one hand pressed against the metal door.

"Cutting the power," he replied. "It's using the screen, I'm turning the screen off.

A moment later, several choice expletives rang in the back of Jenny's mind.

"No good, it's deadlocked the whole system," he groaned.

"There _is no deadlock_," River repeated.

"There is now!"

"_Help me!"_

"Can you turn it off?" Jenny called. "It's basically a television, is there a remote or a plug?"

"_I tried!" _

"Try again!" the Doctor shouted. "But _don't_ take your eyes off the Angel."

"_I'm not."_

River began trying to burn her way through the side of the ship with a blowtorch.

"_I'm not blinking, have you ever tried not blinking?"_ Jenny gave a shaky laugh; Amy was still Amy. _"It just keeps switching back on!"_

"But it's just a recording!" Jenny protested.

"That which holds the image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel," the Doctor repeated, then noticed River. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to cut through," she replied, then glared at the metal, running her fingers over where she had just been trying to burn a hole. "It's not even warm."

"_Doctor? Doctor, Jenny, what's it going to do to me?"_

"Just keep looking at it," Jenny replied, thinking of the stories her father had told her. The man, Billy, who had waited for decades just to deliver a message. How he had nearly lost his TARDIS to four of them, and they were hardly alive.

"_Just tell me, Jenny. Tell me. Tell me!"_

The Doctor, who had been pacing, froze before dashing off to get the book and running back with it.

"Amy, not the eyes!" he shouted, frantically scanning the pages. "Look at the Angel but don't look at the eyes?"

"_Why?"_ Jenny and Amy asked at the same time.

"'The eyes are not the windows of the soul'," he read out. "'They are the doors. Beware what may enter there'."

"_Doctor, what did you say?"_

"Don't look at the eyes!" he repeated.

"_No, about images, what did you say about images?"_

"That which holds the image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel!" Jenny repeated for her, and a painfully long moment later, the locks clicked open. Jenny, River, and the Doctor burst in just to see the monitor go dark.

"I froze it," Amy said breathlessly, holding a remote in her shaking hand. "There was sort of a blip on the tape, and I froze it on the blip. It wasn't the image of an Angel anymore." Jenny felt the beginnings of a grin start to spread across her face. "That was good, yeah? It was, wasn't it? You gotta admit, that was pretty good."

"River or Jenny, hug Amy," the Doctor said, moving towards the screen.

"Why?" Amy asked.

"Because I'm busy."

Jenny and River exchanged an exasperated look before moving to give Amy a hug from the both of them.

"That was brilliant," Jenny said. "You are brilliant!"

"Thanks," Amy said, smiling, although Jenny could tell she was terrified. Trembling, elevated pulse- "I kind of creamed it, didn't I?"

"You did," River agreed with a laugh. "Magnificent."

"So was it really here?" Jenny asked, looking towards her father. "The Angel?"

"That was a projection of the Angel," he corrected. "It's reaching out, getting a good look at us. It's no longer dormant."

There was an explosion outside, and Jenny and the Doctor rushed to the door and looked out.

"Last one positive!" shouted a cleric.

"Doctor, Commander?" Octavian called. "We're through!"

"Okay," the Doctor said slowly, taking a deep breath. "Now it starts."

He left. River lead Amy away, who mumbled about something being in her eye.

Jenny watched Octavian with a troubled gaze.

_Commander. I don't know what anyone means by that. I don't __like__ not knowing what anyone means by that, considering they seem to think it's me._

She could question Octavian later. Right now, she needed to follow her father into a Maze of the Dead. Wonderful.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor helped Jenny down off the long rope ladder that lead down into the first section of the maze.

"Do we have a gravity globe?" he asked, looking into the darkness.

"Grav globe!" Octavian called, and a cleric rushed up and handed a globe to the Doctor.

"Where are we?" Amy asked, looking around. "What is this?"

"It's an Aplan Mortarium, sometimes called a Maze of the Dead," Jenny replied. "Or, if you happen to be a creature of living stone..."

The Doctor kicked the grav globe up into the air where it began to glow, shining a bright light across the massive chamber and revealing the entire room and probably all the rooms beyond it were full of ancient stone statues.

"...the perfect hiding place," the Doctor finished.

"I guess this makes it a bit trickier," Octavian muttered.

"A bit, yeah," Jenny replied sarcastically.

"A stone Angel on the loose amongst stone statues," he continued grimly. "A lot harder than I'd pray for."

"A needle in a haystack," she agreed.

"A needle that looks like hay," the Doctor said, spinning in a circle to look around. "A hay-like needle of death. A hay-like needle of death in a haystack of... er... statues. No, yours was fine."

Jenny and River shared another glance, and Octavian chose to ignore the Doctor's rambling, which was probably a safe idea.

"Right," he said slowly. "Check every single statue in this chamber. You know what we're looking for. Complete visible inspection! One question. How do we fight it?"

"We find it," Jenny said quietly. "And hope."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"You all right?" Jenny asked, falling back to walk along next to River and Amy. She didn't quite know why, but she felt a certain kinship with the two. Probably had something to do with the fact that she only ever had her slightly mad father for company most of the time.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Amy replied. "So, Ms. Encyclopedia, what's a Maze of the Dead?" Jenny blinked at the nickname but didn't question.

"Not as bad as it sounds," she said lightly. "Just a maze with dead people buried in the walls."

She paused as the two looked at her.

"Okay," she conceded. "That was fairly bad."

"Give me your arms," River said to the two of them, pulling out a large needle. Jenny looked at it warily.

"Time Lady," she said quickly. "Don't need it."

"You're young, I can tell," River replied just as quickly. "Your immune system hasn't built up properly, you need it."

Before she could object, she found the needle pressed into her arm and let out a hiss through clenched teeth. _Soldier. Deal with it._

Then River turned to Amy.

"This won't hurt a bit," she said with a smile before injecting Amy as well. The Scottish woman yelped. "Sorry, I lied. It's a viro-stabilizer, stabilizes your metabolism against most everything. You'll need it when we get up to that ship."

"So what's he like?" Amy asked, rubbing her arm. "In the future, I mean. Because you know him in the future, don't you?"

"The Doctor?" River asked, and continued at Amy's nod. "Well, the Doctor's the Doctor. Can't tell you more than that."

"Yes, we are!" Jenny called ahead. The Doctor paused, looking up.

"Sorry?" he called back, not glancing up from the scanner he held.

"Talking about you," River added.

"I wasn't listening." Jenny snorted. He was _so_ listening. "I'm busy."

"Ah," River said, then grinned. "Other way up."

He paused, then slowly turned the scanner over before nodding. Amy laughed.

"You're _so_ his wife," she said with a grin.

"But you can't be," Jenny blurted out, and they both looked at her.

"Do you think it couldn't be that simple?" River asked lightly, and Jenny belatedly wondered if she had overstepped some sort of boundary.

"Well, it's just..." She paused and phrased her next words carefully. "You're _human_. I'd know if you were a Time Lord, we both would. In our heads." She tapped the side of her head to prove her point. He loves humans so very, _very_ much, but he couldn't marry them. They would... fade, and he'd live on after them."

But instead of being angry, River just smiled and pulled Jenny into a hug.

"You'll find out soon, my dear," she said quietly, smiling. "Very soon, I would think."

"Sorry for being so blunt," she mumbled, Amy jogging ahead to catch up with the Doctor, leaving the two of them standing near the back of the group.

"You're so young," River sighed. "But you know what it's like to lose people, and you can't fathom the possibility that anyone would ever submit themselves to such heartbreak. Or heartsbreak, I suppose. Am I right?"

"...Yes," Jenny said after a pause. "How did you know that?"

"In the future, you told me about Donna." Jenny's breath caught in her throat. "And don't forget I know nearly all of your father's history. But it's going to be all right, sweetheart. I can give you that spoiler. You'll have your share of heartsbreak, but it will turn out all right in the end."

"Jenny, come and look at these readings!" the Doctor shouted from up ahead. Jenny smiled at River before carefully blocking those thoughts away from her father and moving up to talk to him. He had just barely handed her the scanner when gunfire came from up ahead, and they quickly rushed ahead to the man group.

"Sorry!" one of the clerics was saying frantically under Octavian's glare. "I thought- I thought it looked at me."

"We know what the Angel looks like," Octavian snapped, then furiously pointed at the crumbling statue, fresh chips from bullets now marring its already cracked surface. "Is that the Angel?"

"No, sir," the cleric replied.

"No, sir, it is _not_," Octavian said. "According to the Doctor and Jenny, we are facing an enemy of unknowable power and infinite evil, so it would be good, it would be _very_ good, if we could all remain calm in the presence of decor!"

"What's your name?" Jenny quickly cut in. The cleric looked at her nervously.

"Bob, ma'am," he replied quietly. She grinned.

"Oh, that's a great name! I love the name Bob!"

"It's a Sacred Name," Bob replied with a shrug. "We all have Sacred Names. They're given to us in the service of the Church."

"Sacred Bob," Jenny repeated. "Like the sound of that. "More like Scared Bob, now, though, eh?"

"Yes, ma'am," Bob replied dutifully, looking down. Jenny patted him on the shoulder.

"Nothing wrong with scared," she said. "I was bred as a soldier, I'm terrified. But that's good, because scared keeps you fast. Isn't that right, dad?"

"Completely right," he agreed. "Anyone in this room who isn't scared is a _moron_." Here the both gave Octavian a pointed look. Octavian shot out a few more orders before they continued into the maze.

"Isn't there a chance this lot's just going to collapse?" Amy asked, looking up at the ceiling. "There's a whole ship up there."

"Nah," Jenny replied. "The Aplans were brilliant. Amazing architects, we'll be fine."

"Had dinner with the Chief Architect, once," the Doctor added. "Two heads are better than one!"

"What, you mean you helped build this?" Amy scoffed.

"No, I mean he had two heads," the Doctor corrected, before spinning to face River. "That book, at the very end, what did it say? Read it to me."

River flipped the book open to the last few pages.

"'What if we had ideas that could think for themselves? What if one day our dreams no longer needed us? When these things occur and are held to be true, the time will be upon us. The time of Angels'."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Are we there yet?" Jenny asked, removing her hair from it's low ponytail before pulling it back again into a sloppy bun. Time Lords may have a cooler body temperature than humans, but she was practically melting after all the tedious climbing.

"Just because you've only been around for a couple years doesn't mean you need to start acting like a human toddler!" the Doctor shouted from a few paces ahead of them. Jenny ignored his statement and stuck her tongue out at his back. "And I saw that!"

"The Maze is on six levels, representing the ascent of the soul," River said to her. "Only two levels to go."

The Doctor dropped back from the group to walk next to them.

"Lovely species, the Aplans," he said lightly. "We should visit them sometime!"

"I thought they were all dead?" Amy asked in confusion.

"So is Virginia Woolf, and I'm on her bowling team," the Doctor laughed before swapping topics back to the Aplans. "Very relaxed, sort of cheerful. Well, that's having two heads, of course. You're never short of a snog with an extra head. Of course, then they started having laws against self-marrying. I mean, what was that about? But that's the Church for you." Having paused in an intersection, Octavian looked at him sharply. "Erm, no offense, Bishop."

"Quite a lot taken, if that's all right, Doctor," Octavian replied coolly before pointing down a tunnel. "Lowest point in the wreckage is only fifty feet up from here, that way."

"The Church had a point, when you think about it," Amy mused, mostly to herself. "The divorces must have been messy."

Jenny stopped dead in her tracks. The Doctor slowed to a halt up ahead of her.

"Oh," River said weakly.

"_We're all idiots," _Jenny groaned in Gallifreyan, causing everyone except the Doctor and, oddly, River, to look at her in confusion.

"Agreed," the Doctor replied.

"How could we not notice that?" River asked, looking around with wide eyes.

"_Low level-"_ Jenny started, then paused. "Sorry, stressed, having issues separating languages. Low level perception filter, or maybe we're all just thick! Possibly both."

"What's wrong, sir, ma'am?" Octavian demanded.

"Nobody move," the Doctor said, then spoke louder so everyone could hear. "Nobody move!" Everyone froze. "Everyone stay exactly where you are!"

"Bishop, I am so terribly sorry," Jenny said. "We've made a huge mistake and now we're all in terrible danger. It's the Aplans, bishop."

"What about the Aplans?" he asked.

"They've got _two heads_, Bishop," Jenny said, glancing about nervously, adjusting her grip on the torch in her hand.

"Yes, I get that," the man said. "So?"

She was tempted to shake his shoulders and rattle him about until he understood, but that probably wasn't the best idea.

"The statues, Bishop!" she nearly shouted. "Why don't the statues?"

His eyes widened. "Everyone over there!" he ordered, motioning for the clerics to follow. "Everyone, over here, now!" The clerics complied without complaint and the group moved into an alcove mostly away from the statues.

"Okay, I want you all to switch off your torches," the Doctor breathed.

"Sir?" one of the clerics asked in confusion.

"Just do it," he snapped. One by one the torches went out, until it was just a single beam of light aimed at a statue.

"Dad, are you sure about this?" Jenny asked weakly.

"No," he replied, and the torchlight flickered out.

A moment later, it flickered back on, and the statue had turned its head. Everyone else instantly turned their torches back on, and Jenny was gripping the torch so hard she could practically hear the metal creak.

"Oh my god, they've moved," Amy gasped.

The Doctor ran down one passageway before running back out.

"They're Angels," he said frantically. "All of them."

"But they _can't_ be!" Jenny exclaimed.

"Clerics, keep watching them!" he shouted before running down one tunnel, then quickly running back. "Every statue in this Maze, every single one, is a Weeping Angel. They're coming after us."

"But there was only one Angel in the ship," River said, looking around, almost like she was pleading for them to listen. "Just the one, I swear."

"They were here already," Jenny breathed in realization. "Oh, that is _clever_. Well, incredibly bad, but clever. These are just shadows of Angels. Look at them, they're slow, dying, starving. They've lost their image, their image is their power. They _need_ more power, they need to _eat_, need to feed! They've probably been down her for centuries, starving. All that radiation, all that lovely juice spilling out from the ship, that's food. The crash of the Byzantium wasn't an accident, it was a rescue mission! That one Angel waited all of this time, just so it could get to here. We're in the middle of an army, and it's waking up. We should probably leave now, don't you think?"

This last question was said in such a light tone compared to the darker mentions over her speech it took a moment to comprehend. Octavian began to speak into his walkie-talkie.

"Bob, Angelo, Christian, come in, please," he said into the static. "Any of you, come in." More static, then-

"_It's Bob, sir. Sorry, sir."_

"Bob, are Angelo and Christian with you?" Octavian demanded to know. "All the statues are active, I repeat, all the statues are active."

"_I know, sir_._"_ Jenny froze. _"Angelo and Christian are dead, sir. The statues killed them, sir."_

She snatched the communicator away from him and began to speak into it rapidly.

"Bob, Sacred Bob, this is Jenny." Octavian made a motion to protest, but the Doctor's glare kept him at bay. "Where are you right now?" Octavian again opened his mouth to protest, but River's shake of the head, combined with the Doctor's glare doubling, caused him to close it again.

"_I'm on my way up to you, ma'am," _Bob replied. _"I'm homing in on your signal."_ Jenny grinned.

"Well done, Bob!" she exclaimed. "Scared keeps you fast, that's what I said, yeah? Your friends, Bob, what did the Angel do to them?"

"_Snapped their necks, ma'am."_

She and her father exchanged a dark look.

"_Angels don't normally do that," _she said in Gallifreyan.

"_No," _he agreed, and the matter was pushed aside.

"Bob, did you check their data packs for vital signs?" Octavian asked, shouting to be heard across the distance between him and the communicator. "We may be able to initiate a rescue plan-"

"Oh, don't be an idiot!" the Doctor interrupted. "The Angels don't leave you alive, and if their necks are snapped then they're _dead_. Bob, keep running, but tell us, how did you escape?"

"_I didn't escape, sir."_

Jenny nearly dropped the communicator.

"_The Angel killed me too, sir. Snapped my neck, sir, ma'am. Wasn't as painless as I expected, but it was pretty quick, so that was something."_

"If..." Jenny said slowly. "If you're dead, then how can we be talking to you?"

"_You're not talking to me, ma'am_," Bob replied. _"The Angel has no voice. It stripped my cerebral cortex from my body and re-animated a version of my consciousness to communicate with you. Sorry about the confusion, ma'am."_

"So when you say that it's you coming up to us-" the Doctor began.

"_-it's the Angel that's coming, sir," _Bob finished. _"Yes."_

"We get out through the wreckage," Octavian ordered, motioning to the clerics. "Go! Go, go, go, all of you run!"

"I'm coming," the Doctor said as Octavian paused for him. "Just go. Called you an idiot, sorry, but there's no way that we could have rescued your men."

"I know that, sir," Octavian replied. "And when you've flown away in your little blue box, I'll explain that to their families."

He walked after the rest of the clerics and River, the Doctor began to speak to Angel Bob, but Jenny's look darkened and she rushed after Octavian.

"That," she snapped, glaring at him, "was uncalled for."

"I don't see what you mean, ma'am," Octavian replied, looking forwards.

"He tries!" she hissed, desperately trying to keep her temper in check. "He can't save everyone, but goodness knows that he tries, and he feels every death of every person he's ever lost! Do _not_ indulge yourself in petty jibes at my family, _sir, _because you won't like the results."

She moved away, River coming up beside her.

"How long ago did you steal his gun?" she asked. Jenny glanced down at the pistol tucked into her belt.

"Back when he was shouting at Bob for shooting the statue. I found it was getting annoying," she replied. "He's a good man. He really is. He just doesn't seem to like me or Dad very much, and I don't like that." River was cut off from replying as one of the clerics ran up.

"The statues are advancing along all corridors," he reported. "And sir, my torch keeps flickering."

"They all do," Octavian replied, glancing down at his own torch.

"So does the gravity globe," River pointed out, glancing up.

"Clerics, we're down to four men!" Octavian shouted. "Expect incoming!"

"It's the Angels," the Doctor said grimly, coming up behind Jenny and making her jump. "They're coming, and they're draining the power for themselves."

"Which means we won't be able to see them," Octavian said. "Which means we can't stay here."

"Agreed," the Doctor replied. "Any suggestions?" Octavian sighed.

"The statues are advancing on all sides," he said. "We don't have the climbing equipment to reach the Byzantium."

_Then how did they expect to get up there in the first place?_

_I don't know. Do a scouting mission first, then go back and get equipment? Why should I know?_

_It was a rhetorical question, Dad..._

"There's no way up, no way back, no way out," River continued. "No pressure, but this is usually when one of you has a really good idea!"

"There's always a way out!" Jenny countered.

"_Doctor? Jenny? Could I speak to the Doctor and Jenny, please?"_

"Hello, Angels," the Doctor said into the communicator. "What's your problem?"

"_Your power will not last much longer, and the Angels will be with you shortly. Sorry sir, ma'am."_

"Why are you telling us this?" Jenny demanded.

"_It was something the Angels were keen for you to know, sir, ma'am. And another thing. I died in fear."_

"Sorry?"

"_You told me that my fear would keep me alive, Doctor, Commander, but I died in fear. You made me trust you, and when it mattered, you let me down. I'm sorry, sir, ma'am, but the Angels were very keen for you to know that."_

The Doctor's glare had darkened from thunderclouds to Oncoming Storm.

"Well, then, the Angels have made their second mistake, because I'm not going to let that past!" he snapped. "I'm sorry you're dead, Bob, but I swear to whatever is left of you, they will be sorrier."

"_But you're trapped, sir, and about to die."_

"Yes, I'm trapped," he scoffed. "And you know what? This trap has got a great big _whopping_ mistake in it!"

"_What mistake, sir?"_

"Trust me?" the Doctor asked Amy.

"Yeah," she replied with a nod.

"Trust me?" This time to River.

"Always."

"Jen?"

"_Always, father," _she replied in Gallifreyan.

"You lot, trust me?" Octavian looked at the clerics.

"We have faith, sir," he said finally.

"Then give me your gun." Jenny handed the pistol to her father. Octavian blinked in confusion, but the Doctor just sighed. "I'm about to do something incredibly stupid and dangerous. When I do, jump!" He jumped to illustrate.

"Jump where?" Octavian asked, looking around.

"Just jump, high as you can. Come on, leap of faith, Bishop. On my signal!"

"What signal?"

"You won't miss it," Jenny assured, taking her father's hand.

"_Sorry, can I ask again? You mentioned a mistake we made."_

The Doctor raised the gun towards the hull of the Byzantium.

"Oh, big mistake," he laughed. "Huge. Didn't anyone ever tell you there's one thing you never put in a trap? If you're _smart_, if you value your continued existence, if you have _any _plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never _ever_ put in a trap."

"_And what would that be, sir?"_

"Me."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**So I was busy thinking about the whole Commander story arc that I have going, and I wrote the scene where it (sort of) gets resolved. Which should probably be coming up sometime in the summer, so don't expect me to tell you anything about it, or for any hints to be dropped in the storyline.**

**I seriously gave myself shivers writing that scene. That's all you're getting.**

**DID YOU PEOPLE SEE THE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL? Seriously, if you haven't, you should. It was pretty good, honestly. Unless you're picky about title sequences. I think they've finally settled on a single one instead of going with the Amazing Multicolored Vortex and Changing Logos (AMVCL). In my personal opinion it's giving a nod to the Classic era. But enough about that. GO AND WATCH IT. NOW. OR I WILL SEND MY DALEK PLUSHIE OUT TO MAKE YOU WATCH IT.**

**On another note, Happy Wholidays everybody, and a happy belated birthday to Georgia Moffett. I figured she should get a mention considering she's practically the reason this story was written.**

**Happy Wholidays!**


	17. Flesh and Stone

"Up!" the Doctor shouted frantically as Jenny tried to reorient herself. "Look up!"

The group struggled to their feet, confused and disoriented and wondering what just happened to them.

"Are you all right?" River asked, putting a concerned hand on Jenny's shoulder. Amy stood behind her, watching in equal concern.

"Why did I let my father shoot something?" she muttered, shaking her head a few times.

"So we could jump," River replied. Jenny blinked.

"Up!" the Doctor repeated. "Up, look up!"

"Where are we?" Amy asked in confusion.

"Exactly where we were," Jenny breathed in realization, staring upwards.

"No we aren't," Amy frowned.

"Jen, move your feet," the Doctor ordered. She obediently stepped backwards, still staring up, while the Doctor proceeded to move through the group, flashing the sonic at a circular hatch on the floor, six flickering lights set into the metal around it.

"Doctor, Jenny, what are we looking at?" Amy asked. "Explain."

"Think of it this way," Jenny replied. "You're on a ship in the vacuum of space, what keeps you stuck to the floor."

"...Gravity?" Amy replied.

"Exactly! Ship crashed with the power still on, so the artificial gravity is still on as well! In a not-smart decision I let father dear shoot the grav globe to give us an updraft, one good jump, up we fell, here we are!"

"Slow down, dear," River laughed. "You're being more confusing than your father." Jenny put on a mock-offended face, but Octavian cut through the lightened mood with a somber knife.

"Doctor, Commander, the statues," he said, causing them to both look abruptly over at him. "They look more like Angels now."

"They're feeding off the wreckage, of course they look more like Angels," Jenny replied, pulling the gun from her father's hands so he could work more easily. "Within an hour they'll be an army."

The hatch opened as one of the lights surrounding it blew. Jenny jumped and skittered away from the sparks.

"Look at them," the Doctor said urgently. "Look at the Angels, they're draining the lights. Into the ship, now. Quick, all of you!"

"How?" Amy demanded, her eyes widening as the Doctor just hopped into the tunnel. "Doctor!" She rushed forwards, Jenny at her heels.

The Doctor looked at Amy, and from their point of view he looked like he was much smaller than normal and standing on the side of a vertical tube.

"It's just a corridor!" he said, motioning around. "The gravity orientates to the floor. Now, in here, all of you. Don't take your eyes off the Angels. Move, move, move! Jenny, in!"

Jenny hopped into the tube/tunnel/corridor and stumbled slightly at the gravity changing around her for the second time in the past few minutes. The Doctor grabbed her hand and tugged her over to a control panel.

"Need your help, Jen," he muttered by way of explanation.

"The Angels," Octavian said, coming through the hatch last. "Presumably they can jump too?"

Jenny nudged a wire, and the hatch slid shut. "They have wings, they don't need to jump. And they're here now. In the dark, we're finished."

The lights flickered as she spoke, and then at the end of the corridor another door began to slide shut. The two Time Lords exchanged a glance.

"Run!" the Doctor shouted, and the ragtag group reached the door seconds too late. Jenny slammed a fist against the metal.

"This whole place is a death trap," Octavian gasped, looking around.

"No, it's a time bomb," the Doctor countered. Jenny glared, but he didn't seem to notice. "Well, it's a death trap _and_ a time bomb." Jenny continued to glare, and he continued to ignore her. "And now it's a dead end. Nobody panic." He spun around to face River. "What's through here?"

"Secondary flight deck?" River replied.

"Okay, so we've basically run up the inside of a chimney, yeah?" Amy asked doing her best to hold herself together. "So what if the gravity fails?"

"I've thought about that," the Doctor assured.

"And?"

"And we'll all plunge to our deaths. See! I've thought about it."

"Dad!" Jenny exclaimed, giving him the universal look for _have-some-tact-would-you_.

"What?" he replied, looking at her. She groaned in exasperation and didn't respond. He stuck his tongue out at her as she turned away then moved to a control panel. "Fine, be like that. The security protocols are still live. There's no way to override them. It's impossible."

"How impossible?" River asked. He glanced up briefly from the controls.

"Two minutes."

The outer hatch slid open, and Jenny watched in nervous anticipation.

"The hull is breached and the power's failing," Octavian stated grimly.

The lights flickered out entirely. Jenny readjusted the grip on the gun in her hands. At the opposite end of the corridor, an arm was silhouetted against the view of the cavern floor.

"Sir, incoming!" one of the clerics called.

"No pressure, Dad, but hurry up, please?" Jenny called.

The lights flickered again, and the Angel was visible. Another flicker and four were inside the corridor, the hatch closed behind them.

_Don't swear, Jen!_

_We're locked in a corridor with Weeping Angels!_

_Not the point!_

"Clerics, keep watching them," Octavian ordered.

"And don't look at their eyes," Jenny reminded. "Anywhere else, not the eyes."

"I've isolated the power grid," the Doctor said. "They can't drain the power now."

"Good work, Doctor," Octavian said.

"Yes," he nodded. "Glad you like it so far..."

"Dad..." Jenny said slowly.

"There's only one way to open this door," he explained. "I'll need to route all the power in this section through the door control."

"Good," Octavian said. "Fine. Do it."

"Including the lights," Jenny said with a sinking feeling. "_All_ the lights."

Octavian turned to look at the two of them.

"How long for?" he demanded. Jenny glanced at her father.

"Fraction of a second, maybe longer," he finally said. "Maybe quite a bit longer."

"Maybe?" Octavian repeated.

"I'm guessing!" the Doctor defended. "We're being attacked by statues in a crashed ship. There isn't exactly a manual for this!"

"And if there was, you'd have thrown it into a supernova by now," Jenny added.

"Now's not the time, Jen!"

"I'm just saying-!"

"Doctor, Jenny," Amy cut in, holding up her flickering torch. "We lost the torches, we'll be in total darkness." There was a tense pause.

"No other way," the Doctor sighed, looking at Octavian. "Bishop?" Octavian's look tightened, and then he pulled River off to one side of the tunnel, away from the Time Lords.

"Doctor Song," he said in a low voice. "I've lost good clerics today. You trust this man?"

"I absolutely trust him," River said with a firm nod.

"He's not some kind of madman then?"

"...I absolutely trust him," she repeated after hesitating. He glared.

"Listen, Doctor Song," he said in an even lower tone of voice than before. "I'm taking your word because aside from you and the Commander, you're the only one who can manage this guy. But that only works as long as he doesn't know who you are. You cost me any more men, and I might just tell them. Both about you and about the future. Understood?"

"Understood," River replied coldly. Octavian nodded once and turned back to the Doctor and Jenny.

"We've got your back," he said. The Doctor grinned.

"Bless you, Bishop."

Octavian turned back to the clerics. "Combat distance, ten feet," he ordered. "As soon as the lights go down, continuous fire. Full spread over the hostiles. Do _not_ stop firing while the lights are out. Shotgun protocol; we don't have bullets to waste."

The Doctor bit his lip nervously as Jenny took position next to one of the clerics, but forced himself back to the matter at hand.

"Amy, when the lights go down, the wheel should release," he said to her. "Spin it clockwise four turns."

"Ten," Amy agreed.

"No, four," the Doctor said, looking up at her. "Four turns."

"Yeah, four," she agreed, looking at him in confusion. "I heard you."

Jenny and her father shared a look.

_Something's wrong with Amy._

_Very wrong, yeah._

"Ready!" the Doctor shouted to the clerics, placing the sonic against the panel.

"On my count, then," Octavian said, swallowing nervously. "God be with us all. Three, two, one, _fire_!"

The Doctor sonicked the panel and the lights went out. Instantly, the clerics began to open fire. Bullets hit the sides of the corridor and the Angels themselves and yet did no damage, but the resulting flashes and sparks let them glimpse the Angels and slowed them down.

"Turn!" the Doctor shouted in the background as Jenny fired shot after shot.

"Doctor, it's opening!" Amy shouted.

"Fall back!" Jenny ordered as the door slid open just enough for the Doctor to push Amy through. The clerics went first, then Octavian, and the Doctor grabbed Jenny by the wrist and pulled her through with him. The door clanged shut behind him, and they darted down the following corridor until they reached the secondary control room that River had mentioned earlier.

The made it into the room just as that door closed behind them as well, but the Angels instantly began to bang and claw at the door. Octavian placed a device over the wheel which had been spinning rapidly, and it stopped.

"Magnetized the door," he said breathlessly but with a hint of pride. "Nothing could turn that wheel now."

"Want to bet?" the Doctor smirked. Jenny held up three fingers, then two, then one-

The wheel screeched, then began to twist to the right. Octavian's eyes widened.

"Dear God!" he gasped.

"Ah, now you're getting it," the Doctor said. "You bought us time, though. That's good, Jenny and I are good with time."

"Doctor," Amy said nervously as another wheel began to turn to the right of the main door.

"Seal that door!" Octavian ordered. "Seal it now."

One of the clerics rushed over, and then the turning of the wheel slowed.

"We're surrounded," River murmured.

The wheel on the door to the left began to turn, and another cleric rushed over to stop it.

"Doctor, how long have we got?" Octavian asked.

"Five minutes, max," Jenny said before her father could answer.

"Nine," Amy said. Both the Doctor and Jenny looked at her.

"Five," they said in unison. She looked at them in confusion.

"Five, right," she agreed. "Yeah."

"Why'd you say nine?" Jenny asked.

"I didn't."

"We need another way out of here," River cut in.

"There isn't one," Octavian countered.

"Yeah, there is," the Doctor stated. "'Course there is. This is a galaxy-class ship. Goes for _years_ between planetfalls. So what do they need?" River's eyes widened.

"Of course," she breathed.

"Can we get in there?" Octavian demanded, coming to the same realization.

"Well, it's a sealed unit, but they must have installed it somehow," the Doctor murmured, running up to the wall and examining it. "This whole wall should slide up..." He grinned in triumph, sliding aside two containers to reveal a pair of clamps. "There's clamps! Release the clamps!"

"What's in there?" Amy asked, coming up next to him. "What do they need?"

"They need to breathe!" Jenny laughed, the wall sliding upwards into the ceiling.

"But- that's-" Amy stammered. "That's a-"

"It's an oxygen factory," River said.

"It's a forest," Amy finished.

"Exactly," Jenny laughed. "It's an oxygen factory, and if we're lucky, an escape route."

"Eight," Amy laughed with her.

"What did you say?" River cut in as Jenny's smile dimmed.

"Nothing," Amy replied confusedly.

"Is there another exit?" the Doctor demanded of Octavian. "Scan the architecture, we don't have time to get lost on there."

"On it," Octavian replied. "Stay where you are until I've checked the rad levels."

The Doctor ignored him as he turned away, choosing to hop over the boundary and into the forest. Jenny and Amy followed.

"But _trees_," Amy repeated. "On a spaceship?"

"Oh, more than trees," the Doctor grinned, flashing his sonic over a tree. "Way better than trees. You're going to _love_ this."

"Tree_borgs_," Jenny said as he pulled back a piece of the tree bark to reveal glowing circuitry and wires running up through the trunk. "Trees _plus_ technology! Branches become cables become sensors on the hull. The sensors suck in starlight and then the trees breathe out air. It even _rains_! There's a whole little climate, and this vault is an ecopod running through the entire ship. A forest in a bottle on a spaceship in a maze, have we impressed you yet, Amy Pond?"

"Seven," Amy laughed, returning their wide grins.

"Seven?" the Doctor repeated, frowning. Amy blinked.

"Sorry, what?"

"You said seven," he said, studying her face.

"No I didn't," Amy replied slowly.

"Yes you did," Jenny countered softly.

"Doctor!" Octavian called, running back. "There's an exit, far end of the ship, into the Primary Flight Deck."

"Then we go there," Jenny replied.

"Plotting a safe path," Octavian nodded, going back to the scanners.

"Quick as you like!" the Doctor called after them.

"_Doctor?"_ Bob's voice came from the communicator. _"Excuse me, hello, Doctor? Angel Bob here, sir."_

The Doctor, who had began following Octavian back to the flight deck, flopped down into one of the chairs.

"Ah, there you are, Angel Bob," he said cheerfully. "How's life. Sorry, bad subject." Jenny rolled her eyes.

"_The Angels are wondering what you hope to achieve."_

"Achieve?" the Doctor repeated. "We're not achieving anything. We're just hanging. It's nice in here. Consoles, comfy chairs, forests. How's things with you?"

"_The Angels are feasting, sir. Soon we will be able to absorb enough power to consume this vessel, this world, and all the stars and worlds beyond."_

"Oh, why don't you do something more cheerful?" Jenny sighed. "Like knitting? That's a perfectly nice hobby, galactic domination gets a bit dull after a while. Besides, we have comfy chairs."

"_We have no need of fabrics or comfy chairs."_

Father and daughter shared a slightly manic grin.

"We made him say comfy chairs!" they exclaimed in unison. River gave a small smirk. Amy smiled.

"Six," she laughed. The Doctor continued to speak into the comm.

"Okay, Bob, enough chat," he said with a hint of warning in his tone. "Here's what we want to know. What have you done to Amy?"

"_There is something in her eye."_

"What's in her eye?" Jenny demanded.

"_We are."_

"What's he talking about?" Amy demanded, just a bit of fear in her voice. "Doctor, Jenny, I'm five." She paused. "I mean, _five_. Fine! I'm fine!"

"You're counting," River said slowly.

"Counting?" The Doctor took Amy's hands in his.

"You're counting down from ten," he said gently. "You have been for a couple of minutes."

"Why?"

"We don't know."

"Well- counting down to what?"

"We don't know," Jenny said softly.

"_We shall take her," _Angel Bob said. _"We shall take all of you. We shall have dominion over all time and space."_

"Get a life, Bob," Jenny and the Doctor snapped.

"There's power on this ship, loads of it, but nowhere near that much," Jenny continued while her father mumbled an apology.

"_With respect, Commander, there is more power on this ship than you understand."_

There was a screeching noise, filling the room, crackling through the speakers, a horrible noise. A few of the clerics covered their ears.

"What is it?" River gasped, looking around. "Dear _God_, what is it?"

"_It's hard to put in your terms, Doctor Song, but as best as I understand it, the Angels are laughing," _Bob responded.

"Laughing?" Jenny echoed, repulsed at the fact they would find something funny.

"_Because you haven't noticed yet, Commander," _Bob said. _"The Doctor and the Commander in the TARDIS haven't noticed."_

"Doctor..." Octavian whispered. Jenny looked towards him, followed his gaze-

"But that's... that's not possible..." she breathed. Behind them, on the bulkhead, the crack from Amy's bedroom was widening, steaming, blinding light spilling out from it.

"That's-" Amy stammered. "That's- that's like the crack from my bedroom wall."

"Two parts in space and time that should have never touched," the Doctor agreed.

"Okay, enough," Octavian said. "We're moving out!"

"Agreed," River nodded. "Doctor, Jenny?"

"Be right with you," he said, scanning the crack with the sonic. "Jen, go with River and Amy."

"We're not leaving without you," River snapped.

"I'm not leaving without you!" Jenny protested at the same time.

"Yes, you are," the Doctor said firmly. "Bishop?"

"Miss Pond, Doctor Song, Jenny, with me," Octavian said. "Now!" River sighed and began guiding Amy and Jenny out of the room.

They followed Octavian and the clerics through the forest, but Jenny and River slowed as Amy began to sway on her feet.

"Amy?" Jenny asked.

"Amy, what's wrong?" River said, concerned.

"Four..." Amy whispered, stumbling to one side before lying down on a mossy tree trunk. Jenny was at her side in an instant, River calling for a med scanner.

"Doctor Song, Commander, we can't stay here-" Octavian started, walking back.

"You even _suggest_ leaving my father behind and you might provoke me into doing something we'll all regret," Jenny snapped.

"Our mission is to make this wreckage safe and neutralize the Angels. Until that is achieved-"

"Father Octavian, when the Doctor is in the room, your one and only mission is to keep him alive long enough to get everyone else home," River cut in, glaring. "If his daughter is with him, then your mission is to keep the both of them alive because they will kill _you_ if you let one of them die. Trust me, it isn't an easy job! Now, if he's dead back there, I'll never forgive myself. If he's alive, I'll never forgive him. And..." She paused, noticing Jenny glancing over her shoulder. "Doctor, you're standing right behind me, aren't you."

"Oh, yeah," the Doctor smirked, now jacketless and leaning against a tree.

"I hate you," River groaned as he hopped down and went to Amy's side.

"No you don't," he countered knowingly. "Bishop, the Angels are in the forest."

_So, what happened to the tweed?_

_An Angel took it. Couldn't resist the coolness, I suppose._

_I think they wanted to burn it as an insult to fashion._

_Tweed jackets are cool!_

"So how did you get past them?" she asked aloud.

"I found a crack in the wall and told them it was the end of the universe," he replied dryly.

"What was it?" Amy asked weakly.

"The end of the universe," he shrugged. River knelt down, scanning her vitals. Jenny frowned at the rapidly decreasing signs.

"So... what's wrong with me...?"

"Nothing," Jenny replied gently.

"You're fine," River agreed.

"Everything, you're dying," the Doctor countered, looking at the readings on his sonic.

"Doctor!" River shouted. Jenny managed to balance on one leg in her crouched position and deliver a sharp kick to his ankle.

"Ow!" he yelped. "What, it's not like if we _lie_ to her, she'll get all better!"

Jenny just rolled her eyes and squeezed Amy's hand in reassurance.

"Right, Amy, Amy, Amy. What's the matter with Amelia?" he muttered. "Something's in her eye. What does that _mean?_ Does it mean anything?"

"Doctor..." Amy whispered.

"Busy," he continued to mutter. Jenny glared.

"Scared," Amy replied.

"'Course, you're dying, shut up!"

"Ignore him," Jenny sighed. "Let him think."

"What happened?" he continued. "She stared at the Angel. She looked into the eyes of an Angel for too long."

"Sir! Angel incoming!" a cleric called.

"And here!" shouted another.

"Keep visual contact! Do not let it move!"

"Come on, come on, come on... She watched an Angel climb out of the screen. She stared at the Angel, and- and-"

"The image of an Angel is an Angel..." Amy moaned. Jenny's eyes widened.

"You stare at the Angels to stop them getting closer!" she said in realization. "You don't blink, and that's exactly what the _want_! Because as long as your eyes are open, they can climb inside. There's an _Angel_ in her mind!"

Both River and the Doctor looked at her sharply.

"And you say I have no tact?" the Doctor asked lightly.

"Shut up."

"Three," Amy whispered fearfully. "Doctor, Jenny, it's coming. I can feel it. I'm going to die."

"No you aren't," Jenny snapped. "Dad, the counting. Why the counting? What for?"

"_To make her afraid," _Bob answered from the comm. _"They want her to be scared, Commander."_

"Bu why?" Jenny repeated. "What's the _point_?"

"_For fun, Commander."_

The Doctor threw the comm. at a tree.

"Doctor, what's happening to me?" Amy asked. "Explain!"

"Inside your head, there's an Angel," Jenny explained quietly. "In the vision centers of your brain. A virtual screen inside your head, and the Angel is climbing out of it. It wants to shut you down."

"Then what do I do?"

"If it was a real screen, you'd pull the switch. Pull the plug, kill the power, but we can't knock you out, the Angel would take over," the Doctor said.

"Then what?" River demanded. "Quickly!"

"Close your eyes!" Jenny blurted. "You've got seconds, Amy, close your eyes!"

"No," Amy whimpered. "No, I don't want to."

"Good," the Doctor nodded, stroking her hair. "That's the Angel inside you, it's afraid. Do it. Close your eyes."

Amy squeezed her eyes tightly shut. A moment later, the scanner went from red to green. Jenny breathed a sigh of relief.

"You did it!" River exclaimed, then wrapped Jenny in a hug. Jenny blinked once before slowly returning it.

"So... can I open my eyes now?" Amy asked, sounding more like herself.

"Amy, listen to me," the Doctor said seriously. "If you open your eyes now for more than a _second_, you will die. The Angel is still inside you. We haven't stopped it, we've just sort of... paused it. You've used up your countdown. You _cannot_ open your eyes."

"Doctor, Commander, we're too exposed here," Octavian called. "We need to move on."

"We're too exposed everywhere and anywhere on this ship!" Jenny called back. The constant use of _Commander_ was grating against her nerves, adding more stress and worry on top of everything else, and the _not knowing_... "Amy can't move."

"Anyway, that's not the plan," the Doctor said, standing up.

"There's a plan?" River and Jenny asked.

"I don't know yet," the Doctor shrugged. "I haven't finished talking. Right! Father, you and your clerics, you're going to stay here, look after Amy. If anything happens to her, I will hold each and every one of you _personally_ responsible, _twice_, and then I'll leave you to Jenny. River, Jen, we're going to find the Primary Flight Deck, which is..."

He licked a finger and held it up in the air, looking around.

"...about a quarter of a mile straight ahead, and from there we're going to stabilize the wreckage, stop the Angels, and cure Amy."

"How?" River asked.

"I'll do a Thing," he replied vaguely.

"I don't know," he said turning back around. "It's a Thing in progress. Respect the Thing! Moving out!"

Octavian stepped forwards. "Doctor, I'm coming with you. My clerics will look after Miss Pond. These are my best men, they'd lay down their lives in her protection."

"I don't need you," the Doctor dismissed.

"Where Doctor Song goes, _I_ go."

"What, are you two engaged or something?" he asked, glancing between the two of them.

"Yes, in a manner of speaking," Octavian replied calmly. "Marco, you're in charge till I get back."

"Sir," Octavian said with a nod.

"Doctor? Jenny?" The two stopped and looked back at her. "Please, can't I come with you?"

"It's too dangerous," Jenny replied, looking pointedly at Octavian who had opened his mouth to speak. He closed it with an audible _click_. "You'll be safer here. Trust me, Amy. We can't protect you."

"We'll come back for you as soon as we can, okay?" the Doctor assured. "I promise."

"You always say that."

He gave a sad smile. "I always come back. Good luck, everyone. Behave! Do _not_ let that girl open her eyes! And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing. Amy, later. River, going to need your computer!"

The group began walking through the forest.

"What's that?" River asked as the Doctor inputted the readings from his sonic into her computer.

"Readings from the crack," the Doctor replied.

"How can a crack in a wall be the end of the universe?" Jenny asked. "Better question, how can _that_ crack in the wall be _here_?"

"Think, Jen," the Doctor replied. Jenny glared.

"It's a crack in time, yes? It's in different places, different time zones, _everywhere_. So the best theory is... one day... there's going to be an explosion. A big one, one to crack the past and the present and the future." The Doctor nodded.

"But how is that possible?" River questioned.

"How can you be engaged 'in a matter of speaking'?" the Doctor countered.

"Sucker for a man in uniform," River smirked.

"Doctor Song is in my personal custody," Octavian cut in. "I released her from the Stormcage Containment Facility four days ago and I am legally responsible for here until she's accomplished her mission and earned her pardon. _Just_ so we understand each other."

"You were in Stormcage?" Jenny asked slowly.

Stormcage was a prison, meant for intergalactic criminals. _The_ worst of the worst. Worse than Prisoner Zero. More like on par with the Daleks. River Song... this woman, this woman who seemed to know them so well... who knew so much about them, who treated Jenny like her own family_._.. was in _Stormcage?_

The handheld computer chirped a few times, interrupting them.

"What is it?" River asked.

"The date," the Doctor breathed, watching as symbols began to scroll past before turning into numbers. "The date of the explosion, where the crack begins."

"And for those of us who can't read the basecode of the universe?"

_26-06-2010_

"Amy's time," Jenny answered.

They walked in silence for a long time after that, up until they reached the entrance to the Primary Flight Deck. There were no Angels in sight. River stood guard with Jenny while Octavian looked for an entrance. The Doctor held River's small computer in his hands.

"It doesn't open from here, but it's the Primary Flight Deck," Octavian called. He nodded to a circular indent in the wall. "This has got to be a service hatch or something."

"Hurry up and open it," River called, glancing into the shadows of the woods. "Time's running out."

"What?" the Doctor asked sharply, whirling around and striding up to here. "What did you say? Time's running out, is that what you said?" They two looked at him in confusion.

"Yeah, I just meant-" River started.

"I know what you meant," he snapped. "Hush! But what if it could?"

"It can't," Jenny said, shaking her head, hearing her father's rapid thoughts.

"What if what could?" River asked.

"Time. What if time could run out?"

"Got it!" Octavian said, the hatch sliding open. The Doctor ignored him.

"Cracks," he was mumbling. "Cracks in time, time running out... _No_, couldn't be... couldn't be. But how is a duck pond a duck pond if there aren't any ducks? And she didn't recognize the Daleks! Jen, she didn't recognize them! Okay, time can shift, time can change... Time can be rewritten. Ah. Oh!"

"Doctor Song, Commander, get through, now," Octavian called, nodding to the hatch. The two quickly slipped through the opening and began crawling towards the flight deck.

The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Time can be _un_written. It's been happening all around me and I haven't even noticed!"

"Doctor, we have to move," Octavian said.

"The CyberKing," he continued, oblivious. "A giant Cyberman walks over all of Victorian London and no one remembers."

"We have to move!" Octavian repeated. "The Angels could be here any second now." He walked up to the Doctor, putting a hand on his shoulder, but the Doctor shrugged it away.

"Never mind the Angels. There's worse here than Angels!"

The lights flickered out. The Doctor spun around to see an Angel with it's arm wrapped tightly around Octavian's neck. "I beg to differ, sir."

The Doctor flashed the sonic screwdriver over the Angel. "Let him go," he demanded.

"Well it can't let me go, sir, can it?" Octavian said, slightly hoarse as he wrapped his hands around the Angel's arm. "Not while you're looking at it."

"I can't stop looking at it, it will kill you."

"It's going to kill me anyway," Octavian replied. "Think it through. There's no way out of this. You have to leave me."

"Can't you wriggle out?"

"Too tight. You have to leave me, sir, There's nothing you can do." The Doctor didn't move. "_Sir_, there's nothing you can do."

"You're dead if I leave you."

"Yes, yes, I'm dead. "And before you go-"

"I'm not going!" the Doctor argued.

"Listen to me. It's important! You can't trust her."

"Trust who?"

"River Song. You think you know her, but you don't. You don't understand who or what she is."

The Doctor thought of Jenny, currently alone with River.

"Then tell me."

"I've told you more than I should," Octavian said. "But please, go. It's your duty to your friends and to your daughter."

"I have a question for you, first."

Octavian might have rolled his eyes if he was the type of person to do such a thing.

"Is now really the time, sir?" The Doctor shrugged.

"No time like the present, as they say. And it's more of two questions, really. Why was River in Stormcage, and _what_, exactly, is the Commander? People keep saying it, all the time, everywhere we go, but no one explains it."

"Doctor Song... she killed a man. A good man. A hero to many."

"Who did she kill? And what about the Commander?"

"You don't want to know, sir. For both, you _really _don't want to know."

"Tell me!"

"It... The Commander is a legend. Folklore, just stories. A lonely figure, a dark figure. No one knows what she looks like, who she is." The Doctor's eyes narrowed. They both knew Octavian wasn't saying all that he knew, and Octavian knew the Doctor knew.

"But why _us_? You've said it, the _Angels_ are saying it. What does it _mean_!?"

"Sir, the Angels are coming. You have to leave me."

"You'll die," the Doctor said quietly. Octavian nodded as best he could.

"I will die in the knowledge that my courage did not desert me at the end. For that I thank God, and bless the path that takes you and everyone else to safety."

"I wish I'd known you better," the Doctor said ruefully.

"I think, sir, that you knew me at my best."

"Ready?" The Doctor took a deep breath. Octavian sighed and closed his eyes.

"Content."

The Doctor made a mad scramble for the hatch. It slid close behind him, but not in time to block out the sickening crunch of bones snapping into pieces.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Where's Octavian?" River asked as the Doctor climbed into the room. Jenny was prodding at a teleport with her sonic.

"Octavian's dead," he said shortly. Jenny frowned; he was keeping something from her, she could feel his thought pressing away from her mind, hiding. "So's that teleport, Jen, you're wasting your time. River, I'm going to need your communicator."

He didn't wait for a reply before taking it. Jenny resumed working on the teleport, River coming to help her.

"Amy?" the Doctor asked. "Amy, are you there?"

"_Doctor?"_

Jenny breathed an unconscious sigh of relief at the sound of Amy's voice.

"Where are you? Are the clerics with you?"

"_They've gone. There was a light and they walked into the light. Doctor, they didn't even __remember__ each other."_

"No, they wouldn't," he sighed.

"What's the light?" River asked.

"Time running out," Jenny replied grimly. "I'm sorry, Amy, we've made a mistake."

"_Well, what do I do now?"_

"You come to us," the Doctor answered. "The Primary Flight Deck, other end of the forest."

"_I can't see. I can't open my eyes."_

"Turn on the spot," he said as he began to sonic the communicator.

"_Sorry, what?"_

"Just do it!" he snapped. "Turn on the spot. When the communicator sounds like my screwdriver, that means you're facing the right way. Follow the sound." Amy didn't reply. "You have to start moving now. There's time energy spilling out of that crack, and you have to stay away from it."

"_But the Angels, they're everywhere."_

Jenny handed River her sonic and took the communicator from her father.

"It's okay," she said quietly. "You can make it to us, the Angels don't matter."

"_What does the time energy do?"_ Amy asked.

"Just keep moving," Jenny said in the same calm tone.

"_Tell me, Jenny. Please."_ She sighed, closing her eyes.

"If the light catches up to you... you'll never have been born. It will erase every moment of your existence. You will never have lived at all. Now, come to us, quickly. Keep your eyes shut, keep moving."

"It won't work," River said softly.

"What else have you got?" he shouted, turning on River. "Tell me!"

Jenny placed a hand on his arm, minutely shaking her head.

River went back to the teleport, but stopped as a clanging began to echo throughout the entire ship.

"What's that?" she asked.

"The Angels, running from the fire," he said quietly. "They came to feed on the time energy, now it's going to feed on them." He began to speak into the communicator again. "Amy, listen to me." He held the sonic to the comm. "I'm sending a bit of software to your communicator. It's a proximity detector, it'll beep if there's something in your way. You just maneuver until the beeping stops, okay?"

"Amy, this is important," Jenny added, helping River as she spoke. "The forest is full of Angels. You're going to need to walk like you can see."

"What's the time energy going to do?" River asked as they worked.

"Keep eating, I would think," Jenny replied.

"How would we stop it?"

"It's hungry," she said. "So... feed it?"

"Feed it what?"

"A big, complicated space-time event should shut it up for a while," the Doctor replied.

"Like what, for instance?"

Jenny, who had thought the Doctor had calmed down, flinched as he shouted suddenly.

"Like _me,_ for instance!"

The comm. began to beep, and Jenny snatched it up.

"That's a warning," she said reluctantly to Amy. "It means there are Angels around you now. But it's okay. The Angels are scared, they're running. They don't care about you. They're scared enough that they'll hear you coming and their instincts will kick in. They'll freeze and you can keep walking. All you've got to do is walk like you can see, okay? You can do this. Trust me, Amy." The beeping continued. "Amy, you aren't moving. You need to do this _now_. You can't let the light touch you, you need to move!"

She nodded as the beeping began to slow, but her hearts beat faster whenever it sped back up again. Pushing her worry to one side, she resumed her work on the teleport.

"_Doctor? Jenny?"_ The Doctor was the one to pull up the communicator this time. _"I can't find the communicator. I dropped it- I- I can't find it. Doctor? Doctor! Doctor! Jenny! Doctor!"_

River caught Amy as she stumbled forwards, and the Doctor looked at the three in amazement.

"Don't open your eyes," River told Amy. "You're on the Flight Deck, the Doctor's here."

"What was that you were saying about the teleport?" Jenny asked, tossing her sonic up in the air and catching it as it fell.

"Told you we could get it working," River smirked. The Doctor grinned.

"River Song, I could bloody kiss you!"

"Ah well, maybe when you're older," she replied smoothly.

Before anyone could say any more, an alarm began to blare.

"They've drained the last of the ships power, which means the shield is going to release," Jenny said, glancing at the wall, surprised at how calm her voice sounded.

The bulkhead between them and the forest slid up to reveal the dark shadows of the trees and a large number of Angels, a single Angel standing in front of the rest.

"Angel Bob, I presume," the Doctor said, walking forwards.

"_The time field is coming," _came Bob's disembodied voice. _"It will destroy our reality."_

"Yeah, and look at you all, running away!" the Doctor scoffed. "What can we do for you?"

"_There is a rupture in time. The Angels calculate that if you throw yourself into it, it will close, and they will be saved."_

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, could do that," the Doctor said dismissively. "But why?"

"_Your friends and your daughter will also be saved."_ He nodded.

"Well, there _is_ that."

"I've traveled in time," River stepped up, realizing the Doctor was actually considering the idea. "I'm a complicated space-time event too."

"Don't even think about it," Jenny cut in. "We've met you before this. After. Before this for us, after for you- Never mind. But you _cannot_ die here."

"Time can be rewritten-"

"Not one line, don't you _dare_."

"Would you two get a grip!" the Doctor shouted. "You're less complicated than a single Angel, and it would take all of them to amount to me."

"You aren't dying here!" River shouted back.

"_No one_ is going to die," Jenny snapped at the same time.

"Get a grip," the Doctor repeated.

"Dad-"

"No, I mean it! River, Amy, Jenny, _get_ a _grip._" He placed his hands on a metal bar. River's eyes widened.

"Oh, you genius!" she exclaimed, pulling Jenny and Amy over to another set of controls.

"_Sir, the Angels need you to sacrifice yourself now."_

"Thing is, Bob," the Doctor said triumphantly, "the Angels are draining all the power from this ship, _every last bit_. And you know what I think? I think they've forgotten where they're standing. I think they've forgotten the _gravity_ of the situation."

Jenny made sure Amy was holding on tightly to a metal bar and took her place between her and River. The screen in front of them read _Gravity Failing_.

"Or to put it another way, Angels..."

_Gravity Failed._

"...night-night."

Jenny had a fleeting thought of how gravity was just _incredibly_ messed up today before her feet left the floor. It was as though the whole ship was tilting and twisting around them as the Angels began to fall, fall, fall backwards towards the crack.

There was a blinding light and the crack snapped shut. A moment later, the backup power came on and they all slumped to the floor.

"Right then," the Doctor said, breathing heavily. "Once more unto the beach!"

"I would groan at that _horrid_ pun but it's a bit too much effort by this point," Jenny sighed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor was standing next to Amy a short distance away while Jenny was talking quietly to River. More clerics had beamed down the instant River had contacted the ship. After everything was explained, they thanked the Doctor, Jenny, and River for assisting them and placed River in handcuffs. She _was_ still a felon after all, even if they weren't holding her responsible for the death of the other clerics.

"What did they mean?" Jenny finally asked, breaking the silence. River glanced over at her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You know what I mean." Jenny met her gaze. "'Commander'. It's following us, that word, following _me_. You know what it means."

"I have ideas, but I don't know," River denied. "I really don't. Even if I did, I couldn't tell you."

"Yeah, spoilers," Jenny said sarcastically. River sighed.

"I'm not lying, Jen," she whispered. "It... I think it has something to do with you, yes, but I _don't know_. Not for sure. Just let it be, Jen. Don't go looking into it, please."

They were interrupted by the Doctor, and Jenny pushed all thoughts of the Commander into the dark recesses of her mind. River smiled at him.

"You, me..." She held up her hands. "...handcuffs. Must it always end this way?" He gave a strained smile. "The prison ship's in orbit. They'll beam me up any second. I might have done enough to earn a pardon this time. We'll see."

"Jen, could you go and make sure Amy's okay?" the Doctor asked. Jenny nodded and quickly moved over to their friend who was standing along. "Octavian said you killed a man," the Doctor said in a low tone the moment Jenny was out of earshot.

"I did," River replied.

"A good man," he continued.

"A very good man," she agreed. "The best man I've ever known."

"Who? And what do you know about the Commander?"

"It's a long story, Doctor," she sighed. "It can't be told, has to be lived. No sneak previews. Well, except for this one." She leaned in closer. "You'll see me again when the Pandorica opens."

"The Pandorica?" the Doctor laughed. "Ha! That's a fairytale."

"Doctor, aren't we all?" River replied with a smile. "I'll see you there."

"We look forward to it," Jenny said, coming up to them, Amy beside her.

"I remember it well."

"Bye, River," Amy said with a wave.

"See you, Amy," River nodded. "And you, Jenny." She glanced down as the handcuffs beeped. "Oh, I think that's my ride."

"Can I trust you, River Song?" the Doctor asked slowly.

"If you like," she smirked. "But where's the fun in that?"

She disappeared in a whirlwind of smoke, and the three turned around and began walking back towards the TARDIS.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny was curled up a massive armchair in the TARDIS library. A fire was roaring in the fireplace, and she had a copy of _The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes _lying across her lap. She loved to read the last story, _The Final Problem_, and then jump to _The Adventure of the Empty House_ just because it fascinated her how Doyle explained Holmes' survival over the Reichenbach. They'd actually met the man, once, a present for Jenny since she loved his writing-

_Jenny!_

Her father's voice was so loud in her head that she jumped a few inches and lost her page in the book.

_What?_ she asked.

_So you know how you left to take a shower after we got back to the TARDIS and it was just Amy and me in the console room?_

_...Yes._ She didn't know if she liked where this was going.

_Well, she had something to tell me_. He stopped there.

_And? _she prompted.

_She's getting married tomorrow morning._

Jenny froze.

_And then she tried to kiss me. Well, succeeded, technically._

Jenny calmly set the book to one side before making her way back to the console room. She passed Amy's door on the way there (shut, she was probably asleep now), and found her father pacing around the console.

"So who's she getting married to?" she asked, doing her best to wrap her head around the situation.

"Rory," he replied, still pacing.

"The good-looking one or the other one?"

"Other one- _don't_ call someone else good-looking. I'm not ready for you to say that yet." Jenny rolled her eyes.

"So what are we going to do?"

"We're going to go get Rory."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**I am still up and writing, no worries. Sorry for the gigantic delay, but I'll have the next chapter up Friday or Saturday.**

**Also, I can't help but notice that we've almost reached 100 reviews here. The 100th person to review can suggest an idea for a DW oneshot and I will write it for them. Anything goes, except for slash or stuff above a T rating. Sound good, all?**

**But seriously, thank you all so much for keeping with this story and my chaotic updating schedule. You all are fantastic.**


	18. The Vampires of Venice

**AND WE ARE BACK ON SCHEDULE, MY FELLOW WHOVIANS! (and we've reached 100 reviews I love you all) Expect updates every Friday, and I hope you enjoy the chapter. :)**

* * *

The Doctor sat underneath the console doing welding while Jenny berated him. He ignored her, for the most part. Amy and Rory were leaning against one of the railings, Amy calmly, Rory in his stag party clothing looking rather uncomfortable.

"...again! I don't even want to know about the _first _time you jumped out of a cake, but did you really need to..."

"Are they always like this?" Rory murmured to Amy, glancing at the single-sided argument. Jenny was pacing around, agitated, hands gesturing wildly and occasionally glaring at her father through the floor. The Doctor pointedly ignored her.

"Yeah," Amy replied. "Just ignore it, they'll stop eventually. It's worse when they slip into multiple languages."

"...ruined Rory's day..."

Rory looked slightly pleased at the mention of him.

"...have _any _tact!?"

The Doctor finally glanced up at her, frowning.

"I thought you realized by now that I _don't_. Were you saying something?"

Jenny let out a strangled groan and turned around with a huff, collapsing into one of the pilot seats, glaring at nobody in particular. Rory shifted slightly, and her glare lessened a bit.

"Hello, Rory," she said. "Sorry about crashing your party."

"It's fine," he said, nodding. "Fine. Totally fine. Completely fine." Jenny gave a sympathetic smile as he stumbled out an answer.

"Oh, the life out there, it dazzles!" the Doctor called from under the console. "I mean, it blinds you to the things that are important. I've seen it devour relationships and plans..." They all jumped as a small explosion came from underneath the console where he was welding. "It's meant to do that, don't worry!"

'No, it isn't,' Jenny mouthed, rolling her eyes.

"Because for one person to see all that, to taste the glory and then go back... it will tear you apart. So... we're sending you somewhere. Together."

"Whoa," Amy said, taking a half-step forwards, glancing between the three. "What, like a date?"

"Anywhere you want," Jenny smiled. "Any _time _you want. Think of it as a wedding present because otherwise you will wind up with whatever he can scrounge out of his pockets and end up with a yo-yo. One condition, however- it has to be amazing!"

The Doctor and Jenny had had a late-night conversation just after the Byzantium incident, "night" being a completely relative term considering that there was no night on the TARDIS. From Jenny's point of few it was mostly confusing and amusing, although the Doctor was incredibly flustered. Jenny said they should go and find Rory, because she rather liked the young nurse and Amy deserved someone like him.

The Doctor had climbed out from under the console, and seeing Rory's expression, walked up to him with a slight smirk.

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?" he asked. "Tiny box, huge room inside, what's that about? Let me explain."

"It's another dimension," Rory said.

"It's basically another dimen..." The Doctor trailed off midsentence, frowning slightly. "What?"

"After what happened with Prisoner Zero, I've been reading up on all the latest scientific theories. FTL travel, parallel universes..." Jenny laughed and gave Rory a brief one-armed hug. The Doctor pouted slightly, looking at Rory completely serious.

"I like the bit when someone says it's bigger on the inside. I always look forward to that."

_You're acting like a three year-old._

_You __are __a three year-old._

_Ouch. Low blow, Dad._

_I only tease because I care._

"So, this date," Amy cut in, interrupting their mental conversation. "I'm kind of done with running down corridors. What do you think, Rory?" Rory didn't respond, so the Doctor took the liberty of responding for him, throwing down a lever.

"How about somewhere... romantic?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Venice!" the Doctor shouted, bouncing out of the TARDIS and spinning around, arms spread out. They had landed in the center of a marketplace, not even making an attempt to hide.

"Venezia!" Jenny added, trying out her rudimentary Italian. "La Serenissima! The impossible city!"

"Preposterous city!" the Doctor added as Amy and Rory stepped out from the TARDIS behind them, looking around. "Founded by refugees running from Attila the Hun. It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the middle of the marsh, but became one of the most powerful cities in the world! Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding... constantly just... beautiful! Ah, you got to love Venice. So many people did."

"Or do, depending," Jenny mused. "Or technically they will." The two humans looked confused, and the Doctor shook his head, tutting.

"Now, Jen, don't attempt to apply tenses to time travel, it never works." She shrugged. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes. So many people love Venice! Byron, Napoleon, Casanova. Ooo, that reminds me." He quickly glanced down to check his watch, and then sighed in relief. "1580. That's all right. Casanova doesn't get born for a hundred and forty five years. Don't want to run into him! I owe him a chicken."

"You owe Casanova a chicken?" Rory repeated dubiously.

"He lost a bet," Jenny laughed. "It was hilarious."

"Don't mention it," the Doctor said quickly. Jenny remained obediently quiet, but her eyes were sparkling with mirth and as soon as the Doctor had turned around and started walking, she murmured a quick 'I'll tell you later' to Amy and Rory. As they turned into an alley, they were stopped by an official.

"Papers, if you please!" he exclaimed. "Proof of residency, current bill of medical inspection!" The Doctor wavered slightly before holding up the psychic paper.

"There you go, fellow," he said with a calm smile. "All to your satisfaction, I think you'll find." The man took a look at the paper before his eyes widened in shock, and he straightened up.

"I am so sorry, Your Holiness!" he gasped. "I didn't realize."

"No worries," Jenny replied. "You were just doing your job. ...What is your job?" The Doctor snickered as she backpedaled.

"Checking for aliens!" he said as though it should be obvious. Jenny and the Doctor shared a glance.

_Aliens?_

_Don't look at me, I'm just as confused._

"Visitors from foreign lands that might bring the plague with them."

_...That makes more sense._

"Oh, that's nice!" Amy said sarcastically. "See where you bring me? The plague."

"Don't worry, Viscountess," the official assured Amy. "No, we're under quarantine here. No one comes in, no one gets out, and all because of the grace and wisdom of our patron, Signora Rosanna Calvierri!"

"How interesting," Jenny replied, sounding more confused than anything. "But I thought the plague died out years ago."

"No, not out there, Commander," the official said quickly. "Here, yes, perfectly safe, but out there... Signora Calvierri has seen it with her own eyes. Streets are piled high with bodies, she said!"

"Did she now..."

Rory took the psychic paper as the official moved to go harass another group.

"Er, according to this, I am your _eunuch_," Rory shouted after the departing backs of the Doctor and Amy.

"Ignore it," Jenny muttered, taking the paper from Rory's hands and looking at the rapidly fading letters.

_...Holines... John Smith_

_Viscounte... Amelia Po..._

_Eun... Ror... ...illiams_

_Commander..._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The four leaned up against a railing, looking across a canal as a procession of young girls began to depart from the building, white dresses, white parasols. Amy jumped slightly as a man ran up to the group and started shouting at them, pulling away their veils, shouting. One of them finally knocked him over, and they continued onwards.

"What was that about?" Amy asked, turning around, but the Doctor and Jenny had vanished. "Oh, I hate it when they do that."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Who are those girls?" the Doctor demanded of the man who had been causing a commotion by the gates.

"I thought everyone knew about the Calvierri school," the man replied breathlessly, glancing between the two of them in confusion.

"Our first day here," he replied with a shrug. "It's okay. Parents do all sorts of things to get their children into good schools. The move house, they change religion... So why are you trying to get her out?"

"Something happens in there," the man replied, fear evident in his eyes for his daughter. "Something magical, something... evil. My own daughter didn't recognize me. And the girl who pushed me away... her face... like an animal."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think we would like to meet this Signora Calvierri," Jenny said with a smile, glancing up at her father.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"You have my daughter! Isabella!" the man, whose name, they had learned, was Guido, shouted to the guards standing in front of the entrance.

"No, you're not coming in," the guards said. "Stop there! Look, we've told you-"

Jenny took out her sonic and flipped through the settings until the lock clicked open on the side entrance.

"You have my daughter! Isabella! I demand you let me see my daughter!"

"Go away-"

"Isabella! It's me, it's your father-!"

"Sir, we will arrest you!"

"Isabella!"

The Time Lords slipped through the gate and past the guards, Guido finally leaving as he saw them walk by. They walked silently through the hallways before taking a quick turn down through a stone stairway and into the lower levels of the building, appearing by an intersection of hallways. There was an ornate mirror hanging on one wall, three doors opposite.

"Hello, handsome," the Doctor smirked at himself in the mirror, adjusting his bow tie. Jenny rolled her eyes and turned around, then froze.

"Who are you?" said several girls in white robes. No sound had alerted Jenny to their entrance, and they weren't reflected in the mirror.

"How..." The Doctor glanced rapidly between the women and the mirror. "Are you doing that? I am _loving _it! You're like Houdini, only five slightly scary girls, and he was shorter."

"Will be shorter," Jenny corrected.

"Rambling!" he exclaimed as the girls walked closer.

"I'll ask you again, signor, signora," they spoke in unison. "Who are you?"

"Why don't you check... this out!" the Doctor replied, rummaging around in his pockets before pulling out a small wallet. The girls just looked at him. Jenny plucked it from his hand and sighed.

"Library card," she muttered, shoving it back into his hands.

"Of course," he groaned. "It's with... He's... Um... I need a spare." The girls continued to walk towards them, and the two slowly began backing away, back towards the staircase and hoping against hope that no one would come down behind them. "Pale, creepy girls who don't like sunlight and can't be seen. Ha! Am I thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I think I'm thinking what you think you're thinking," Jenny replied. "And I don't know if this is going to be amazing or terrifying."

"Both, normally is."

"Yeah, let's go with both."

"Leave now, signor, signora, or we shall call for the steward... if you are lucky."

They opened their mouths in a snarl to reveal long, needle-like teeth and started to hiss. The Doctor backed up a few more steps and pushed Jenny behind him.

"Tell me the whole plan!" he shouted to no effect. "One day, that will work." Jenny punched his arm.

"No, it really won't," she replied, but a slow grin was spreading across her face. "Listen, we'd love to stay..." They kept backing up. "Um... Yeah, this has been..."

"I'm thrilled," the Doctor finished, grinning. "Oh, this is Christmas!"

They hastily departed before they could get themselves into anything worse.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, running up to the two back at the canal.

"We just just met some vampires!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"We just saw a vampire!" Amy said at the same time. The two began to talk over each other, like two excited children. Jenny chuckled, then glanced up at Rory, who was panting, slightly out of breath.

"We think we just saw a vampire," he said breathlessly.

"Isn't it amazing?" Jenny laughed, clapping her hands. "Come on, Dad and I saw some as well, in the Calvierri place. We snuck through the side entrance."

"...need to get back in there somehow," the Doctor was saying to Amy.

"How do we do that?" Amy replied.

"Come and meet our new friend!"

The group took off again.

"Where are we going?" Rory asked Jenny.

"Well we needed help to get into the school, so we're going to go and get more help. Come on, Rory, allons-y!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Guido laid a map of Venice out on the table.

"As you saw, there's no clear way in," he was saying. "The House of Calvierri is like a fortress. But there's a tunnel underneath it, with a ladder and a shaft that leads up into the house." He pointed to a spot on the map. "I tried to get in once myself, but I hit a trapdoor."

"You need someone on the inside," Jenny and Amy said at the same time.

"No," the Doctor said firmly.

_You are not going in there._

_Dad-_

"You don't even know what I was going to say," Amy protested.

"That we pretend you're an applicant for the school to get you inside and tonight you come down and open the trapdoor to let us in," he said without looking at her.

"...Oh," she replied after a pause. "So you do know what I was going to say."

"Are you _insane?_**" **Rory asked.

"We don't have another option-"

"I work at the arsenal," Guido said hesitantly, pointing to the collection of barrels stacked against the wall behind Rory. "We build warships for the Navy."

"Gunpowder," Jenny murmured, glancing over. Against her will, dozens of strategies flew through her mind, possible ways to use the gunpowder as weaponry, strategic weak points...

"Most people just nick stationary from where they work," the Doctor sighed. "Look, we have a thing about guns and huge quantities of explosives."

"What do you suggest, then?" Guido countered. "Wait until they turn her into an animal?"

"I'll be there three, four hours, tops." Amy continued.

"_No_-"

"I'll go too," Jenny cut in. "I can look out for her, and we'll be fine."

"Jenny-"

"We can be siblings! Amy and I, and you're our brother."

"Too weird," Amy frowned, shaking her head.

"Amy, there's two of us, he can't be _our _fiance and he looks too young to be anything else. Cousins, maybe? Would that work?"

"I'm not having you lot run around telling people that he's your fiance," Rory said firmly.

"Wait, they've already seen you two, Jenny can't come."

"Thanks, Amy..."

"Thank you, Amelia! Jen, you're staying here."

"But-"

"And since they've seen me and they know what I look like, Rory, you go."

"Me?" Rory repeated.

"Yeah," Amy agreed. "You can be my brother."

"...Why is _him _being your brother weird, but with me it's fine?"

"Actually, I thought you _were _her fiance," Guido said slowly, looking at the Doctor. Rory glared.

"Yeah, not helping," the Doctor sighed. Rory groaned.

"This whole thing is mental! They're _vampires_, for God's sake!"

"We hope," Jenny said lightly. The others paused to stare at her. The two Time Lords just smirked. "Makes you wonder what could be so bad it doesn't mind us thinking it's a vampire, hm?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Rory and Amy stood before Rosanna Calvierri and the man the two had seen on their escapade around Venice, dressed in appropriate costume acquired from the TARDIS wardrobe, courtesy of Jenny. Apparently she was the only one who was really able to navigate the TARDIS corridors.

"So, basically, both of our parents are dead from getting the plague," Rory said slowly. "I'm a gondola... driver... so money's a bit tight... so having my sister go to your school for... special people... would be... brilliant. Cheers." Amy was doing her best not to cringe at his acting.

"Have we met?" the man asked, stepping down from Rosanna's side and looking at the two with a scrutinizing gaze.

"I've just got one of those faces..." Rory started awkwardly.

"I wasn't talking to _you_."

"She's got the same face!" he continued quickly. "Which is... because... she's my sister!"

"Carlo, explain yourself!" Rosanna snapped. The steward rushed forwards. "Why have you brought me this _imbecile._**"**

"Signora, they have references from His Majesty the King of Sweden!" Carlo said nervously, stepping forwards.

"What?" Rosanna asked sharply. "Let me see."

Rory took a nervous step forwards with the psychic paper. Carlo took it from him and handed it to Rosanna, who read it before a slow smile appeared on her face.

"Well, now I see what got my steward so excited," she said in a much more polite tone. "What say you, Francesco?" she asked the man. "Do you like here?" The man grinned, leering down at Amy.

"Oh, I do, Mother," he said in a low voice. "I do."

"Then we would be delighted to accept her," Rosanna said pleasantly. "Say goodbye to your sister."

Carlo began to drag Rory away, and the two looked at each other, too stunned to protest.

"Tell Uncle... Doctor and Aunt Jenny that I'll see you both really soon, okay?" Amy called after him. "I'll be fine!"

The doors slammed shut between them.

Back at the gondola, Guido was wearing Rory stag shirt. The Doctor and Jenny watched Rory sadly.

"She'll be fine," Jenny offered hesitantly.

"You can promise me that, can you?" Rory snapped at her.

They didn't talk until Guido announced, "We're here."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Right, I'll go first," the Doctor said as they slowly began feeling their way through the tunnel, only the Doctor holding a torch. "If anything happens to me, go back."

"Yeah, right," Jenny scoffed. A pause.

"What happened?" Rory asked suddenly. "Between you and Amy? You said she kissed you."

The Doctor stopped short, Jenny nearly walking into him.

"Now?" he asked in disbelief, turning to look at Rory. "You want to do this _now_?"

"I have a right to know!" Rory protested as they started walking again. "I'm getting married in four hundred and thirty years!"

"She was frightened," the Doctor sighed. "_I _was frightened, everyone was terrified. But we survived, and, you know, and the relief of it... and so she kissed me."

"And you kissed her back."

"No, I kissed her mouth."

They stopped short again. Jenny cringed, wishing she wasn't in between the two while they were having this conversation.

"Funny," Rory said coldly. The Doctor sighed and looked back.

"Rory... Rory, she kissed me because I was _there_. It would have been you. It _should_have been you."

"Yeah, it should have."

"Which is why we brought you here-"

A strong wind pushed past them through the tunnel, blowing out the torch.

"...Can we go and see the vampires now, please?" Jenny asked in a small voice.

The trap door was unlocked, and Jenny was the one to push the Doctor up, him standing on her shoulders, in order for him to clamber out.

"Push!" he whispered down at her, placing a foot onto her face. Jenny gave a slightly squashed glare, but the three managed to make it up safely.

"Amy's not up here," the Doctor said as they pulled Jenny up.

"Can't see a thing," Rory muttered, looking around. "Just as well I brought this, then." He pulled out a small penlight. The Doctor followed by pulling out a massive UV light about the length of his arm from one of his bigger-on-the-inside pockets.

"Ultraviolet," he said. "Portable sunlight." Rory glanced between the two.

"Yours is bigger than mine," he said finally.

"Let's not go there."

They quickly went in opposite directions, leaving Jenny to find her sonic and then find the flashlight setting.

"Awkward..." she whispered in a sing-song tone, following the Doctor, who was opening a chest. Rory came shortly after, and they all looked down at the desiccated corpse.

"They've had the moisture taken out of them," Jenny said in disgust.

"That's what vampires do, isn't it?" Rory asked as they stared at the bodies. "They drink your blood and replace it with their own."

"But this isn't just blood, it's moisture," Jenny repeated.

"All the water in their... entire bodies," the Doctor finished sadly.

"Why did they die? Why aren't they like the girls in the school?"

The two Time Lords shared a look before the Doctor sighed.

"Maybe not everyone survives the process."

Rory's temper finally snapped, and he stormed away a short distance before spinning back around and glaring. "You know what's dangerous about you two?" he snapped. "It's not that you make people take risks, it's that you make them want to impress you. You make it so they don't want to let you down. You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you're around!"

Jenny's temper flared as the Doctor shied back from the scathing words, but there was no time for arguing.

"Who are you?" six girls asked in unison, coming from behind them. The Doctor waved the UV light at them and they flinched away.

"Run!" he shouted, tucking the light underneath his arm, grabbing each of them by the hand. They ran. Past the girls and through the darkened hallways of the institute, and they kept running until Rosanna, Francesco, and Carlo appeared in front of them.

"Cab for Amy Pond!" the Doctor shouted, glancing around.

"This rescue plan," Rosanna smirked as more of the vampires appeared behind them. "Not exactly watertight, is it?" The Doctor only brandished his UV light in response, wielding it like a sword. Isabella and Amy came in a moment later, pushing past the girls and falling into the relative safety of their group.

"Quickly, through here," Isabella said, motioning to a side corridor. They ducked into another tunnel and continued to run.

"They're not vampires," Amy said as they ran.

"What?"

"I saw them," she continued. "I saw her. They're not vampires, they're aliens."

"Classic," Jenny sighed as the Doctor sonicked the trapdoor hatch.

"That's the good news?" Rory asked. "What is _wrong _with you people?"

"Come on, hurry!" was the only response he got. They finally made it to the exit of the tunnel, Isabella pushing everyone out. Guido was waiting in the canal with his gondola.

Jenny turned to shut the door, but Isabella recoiled at the sunlight.

"Come on!" she said urgently, frantically.

"I can't-"

Hands began to grab at her, shutting the door and pulling her back inside.

_Dad, jacket!_

A moment later the tweed coat was in her hands, and together they managed to pull her out into the light, coat wrapped around her head, blocking the sunlight from her skin.

"This way, quickly!" he snapped, rushing down towards the Gondola.

"We will kill you for this!" the girls screeched from behind them as the door slowly shut. "We will kill you!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Rosanna entered the main room of the school to see the Doctor sitting on her throne, Jenny leaning against the side.

"Long way from Saturnyne, aren't you... Sister of the Water?" he asked lightly.

"No, let me guess," she smirked. "The owner of the psychic paper. Then I take you are both refugees, like me?"

"We'll make a deal," Jenny shrugged. "An answer for an answer. You're using a perception filter, which doesn't change your features, necessarily, but it manipulates the brain waves of the person looking at you. Yet when we see you for the first time, say in a mirror, we don't know what to fill the gap with, and we leave it blank, hence no reflection. Our question: why can we see your big teeth?"

She laughed. "Self-preservation overrides the image. The subconscious perceives the threat and tries to alert the conscious brain. Now, my turn. Where are you from?"

"Gallifrey," the Doctor replied. Rosanna's eyes widened in shock.

"You should both be in a museum!" she exclaimed. "Or a mausoleum."

"Why are you here?" he asked, ignoring her commentary.

"We ran from the Silence. Why are _you_here?"

"Wedding present for some friends," Jenny answered quickly. "The Silence?"

Rosanna faltered. "There were cracks," she said, almost phrasing it like a question. "Some... they were as big as the sky. Others were tiny. Through some we saw world and people, and through some we saw silence... and the end of all things. We fled to an ocean like ours, and the crack snapped shut behind us. Saturnyne was lost."

"So Earth is going to be Saturnyne Mark Two?" Jenny scoffed.

Rosanna nodded, smiling. "And you can help me, the both of you. We can build a new society together, as others have. What do you say?"

"Why would you kill Isabella?" the Doctor asked suddenly, standing up and walking towards Rosanna. The woman blinked.

"Isabella?" she repeated.

"The girl who saved our friend," Jenny elaborated.

"Oh, deserters must be executed," she said dismissively. "Any general will tell you that. We will find her later. Now, I need an answer, Doctor, Commander."

"I don't think that's such a good idea, do you?" he laughed quietly. "I'm a Time Lord, you're a big fish, and my daughter here doesn't seem to like you very much."

Rosanna glared before shouting. "Carlo!" The steward rushed into the room. "You're right, we are nothing alike. I will bend the heavens to save my race, while _you_philosophize!"

"This ends today," Jenny threatened. "We will tear down the House of Calvierri, stone by stone." Carlo made to grab her arm and escort her away, but she turned her glare on him. "Let go of me or you will find yourself missing an arm." He quickly stepped back.

"And do you know why?" the Doctor asked coldly. "You didn't know Isabella's name. You would have killed her without a thought, and you didn't even know her name."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Guido's home, they sat around the wooden table once more, the Doctor checking the small puncture wounds on Amy's neck while Jenny did her best to block the sunlight for Isabella. She managed to drag a few of the barrels around to make an extra wall for the young girl to sit behind, effectively in the shade, and yet it didn't seem to help very much. It was still too bright.

"You're fine," the Doctor said to Amy, popping a candy in her mouth and sitting down.

"You might want to invest in some curtains," Jenny called over to Guido. "I'm fairly sure that since she wasn't fully converted, she'll be fine after a while, but until then she can't go near the sunlight."

She gently patted Isabella on the shoulder, offering what she hoped was a reassuring smile, then joined the group at the table.

"If they're fish people, it explains why they hate the sun," Amy said, trying to talk around the candy.

"Stop talking," the Doctor said, putting his hand over her mouth. "Brain thinking. Hush."

"It's the school thing I don't understand," Rory sighed.

"Stop talking," he repeated, placing his other hand over Rory's mouth. "Brain thinking. Hush."

"Dad-" Jenny started.

"Ah!" He looked at Amy, who rolled her eyes and placed her hand over Jenny's mouth.

_You're acting like a three year old again!_

_Stop talking. Brain thinking. Hush!_

"I say we take the fight to them," Guido said firmly.

"Ah, ah, ah!" the Doctor looked at him.

"What?"

"Ah!"

Rory sighed and placed his hand over Guido's mouth.

"Her planet dies, so they flee through a crack in space and time and end up here," he began slowly.

_Like Prisoner Zero._

"Exactly like Prisoner Zero, Jen. Then she closes off the city, and one by one, starts changing the people into creatures like her to start a new gene pool. Got it. But then what? They come from the sea, they can't survive forever on land, so what's she going to do...? Unless she's going to make the city habitable! She said... 'I shall bend the heavens to save my race'. Bend the heavens. Bend the heavens..."

The thought occurred to them at the same time.

"She's going to sink Venice," the Doctor and Jenny breathed in unison, and everyone was stunned enough by this revelation that their hands dropped back to the table.

"She's going to _sink_Venice?" Guido repeated.

"And repopulate it with the girls she's transformed," Jenny finished. "Yeah.

"You can't repopulate somewhere with just women, though..." Rory said awkwardly. "You need... blokes."

"She's got blokes," Amy said suddenly, and both the Doctor and Jenny turned to stare at her. "In the canal. She said to me there are... ten thousand husbands waiting in the water."

The Doctor nodded knowingly. "Only the male offspring survived the journey here. She's got ten thousand children swimming around the canals, waiting for Mummy to make them some compatible girlfriends." Jenny wrinkled her nose in disgust, and he frowned as he realized what he just said. "Urgh, I mean- I've been around a bit, but really, that's- that's... eurgh."

A sudden clattering of noise came from the floor above them, and they all looked up.

"The people upstairs are very noisy," the Doctor commented.

"There aren't any people upstairs," Guido replied, his gaze never leaving the ceiling. Jenny mouthed the words along with him.

"I knew you were going to say that," he muttered. "Jenny did too. Did anyone else know he was going to say that?"

"Is it the vampires?" Rory asked.

"Fish from space, not vampires," Jenny corrected. "Although if it makes you feel better, sure, call them vampires."

A window broke, glass shattering. Four of the girls appeared at the window, and two more appeared at the stairs.

"Aren't we on the _second _floor?" Rory shouted.

Jenny pulled Isabella to her feet, taking the Doctor's jacket from where it had been draped over a barrel and wrapping it around her. The Doctor waved his sonic at the girls, briefly revealing their true appearance.

"What happened to them?" Guido breathed.

"Fully converted," the Doctor said. "Nothing left. Blimey, fish from space have never been so..."

"Don't need to hear the rest of that sentence!" Jenny said quickly. "Don't need to. Come on, let's hurry."

"They are monsters," Isabella said weakly. "I am a monster." Jenny looked at her sharply.

"Don't say that," she firmly. "Don't. You are Isabella, and you are a fantastic young woman with your whole life ahead of you. Don't you ever say that."

They practically flew out the front door, but Isabella could only make it a few steps before the sunlight caused her to stumble, even beneath the cover of the Doctor's jacket.

"Give me the lamp!" she demanded of the Doctor, who passed it over. Guido and his daughter kept the vampires at bay while the others made it outside.

"We need to stop them!" Amy shouted.

Jenny glanced around frantically, but her eyes widened as the two Venetians pulled the door shut behind them, locking them and the girls inside.

"No!" she shouted, slamming her fist against the door.

"You were kind to me," Jenny," she heard Isabella say through the wood. "But I can see it in your eyes. One cannot simply recover from this. I will never be able to walk in the sunlight again."

"Listen to me," the Doctor snapped, coming to Jenny's side. "We _can _help you, just let us-"

"Remember us, but do not mourn us," Isabella continued. "My father and I lived a good life, and we are grateful for that, and for you."

"Isabella, Guido-"

"They will regret hurting my daughter, do you understand? Doctor, Jenny, get away from the door!"

"Guido-"

It took both Amy and Rory to pull the Time Lords back to safety before the house went up in flames.

"Rosanna's initiating the final phase," the Doctor said quietly, looking up at the sky. It had gone from a cloudless blue to a turmoil of thunderclouds within the space of a minute. "Amy, Rory, get back to the TARDIS." Amy stared.

"You can't stop her on your own."

"We don't discuss this!" he shouted. "I tell you to do something, Amy, and you do it!"

The two glared at one another before Amy turned and walked away.

"Thank you," Rory said quickly before rushing after her.

The Doctor just took his daughter gently by the hand and pulled her away from the burning house.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They ran back to the school, pushing away the hurt and ignoring the screaming crowds. In the throne room, the Doctor opened the back of the throne to reveal a mass of circuitry and wires.

"You're too late," Rosanna said, walking in. "Such determination, just to save one city... Hard to believe it's the same man that let an entire race turn to cinders and ash. Now you can watch as my people take their new kingdom."

"The girls have gone, Rosanna," Jenny said quietly.

"You're lying."

"Shouldn't we be dead? Rosanna, please, help us. There are two hundred thousand people in this city!"

Rosanna merely turned and walked away, calling over her shoulder, "So save them."

They ran out to a balcony, looking up at the ever-increasing storm above them, then raced back in just in time to see Amy and Rory come in through a different entrance.

"Get out, we need to stabilize the storm."

"We're not leaving you," Rory argued. The Doctor glared.

"Right, so one minute it's all 'you make people a danger to themselves' and the next it's 'we're not leaving you'. But if one of you gets squashed or blown up or eaten, who gets the-"

"We don't have time for this!" Jenny snapped as the ground shook underneath them. "And don't worry about the earthquake, worry about the tidal waves caused by the earthquake, okay? Now, Rosanna's throne is the control panel for this whole thing, but it's deadlocked. You rip out every wire and circuit in that throne, burn hit, poke it with a stick, whatever. That will reroute control to the secondary hub, which I assume which will also be the generator, which we will go and shut down. Come on."

They took off for the bell tower, the Doctor taking the lead, although they could only go so far before the bells began to deafen them.

"Shut up!" the Doctor shouted, hands clamped over his ears. The bells stopped. "Thank you. Jen, hold this cable, keep it steady." Jenny obediently took the cable, and the Doctor slowly began to climb up into the storm, rain pouring down and making the stone slick and hard to grasp.

_Jen, gears!_

Jenny looked through her father's blurred vision, frowning slightly.

_I don't know! There should be a switch somewhere, closer to the top..._

A moment later, the rain stopped, and cheers rose up from the people. The clouds disappeared as though they had never existed, and Jenny allowed herself a small smile.

"Go back to Amy and Rory, make sure they don't get lost, okay?" he said when he had climbed down, soaking wet. "I'll meet you there."

She was making her way through the courtyard when she felt a stab of sadness not her own, and she sighed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Inspector gave a deep, respectful bow as they walked back to the TARDIS, still slightly damp from the rain but none the worse for wear.

"Now then, what about you two, eh?" the Doctor glanced between the couple, grinning. "Next stop, Leadworth Registry Office. maybe I can give you away!"

"It's fine," Rory said, sounding as though it really wasn't fine at all. "Drop me back where you found me... I'll just say-"

"Stay with us," Amy cut in. He blinked and looked at her. "Please. Just for a bit. I _want _you to stay."

"Fine with me," the Doctor shrugged, smiling.

"I like people," Jenny agreed.

Rory hesitantly returned their grins. "Yeah? Yeah, I would like that."

"Awesome," Amy said. "I will pop the kettle on. Got my spaceship, got my boys and my girl... my work here is done." She stepped into the TARDIS with a flourish, and Rory frowned.

"Er, we are not her boys," he said.

"Yeah, we are," the Doctor replied.

"Yeah, we are..."

Rory followed Amy into the TARDIS, leaving Jenny and the Doctor standing in a suddenly silent courtyard, empty of people, and they shared a worried glance.

"_There were cracks... Through some we saw silence... and the end of all things."_


	19. Amy's Choice

The Doctor and Jenny climbed out of the TARDIS, stepping over a small rock wall to get out.

"Rory!" Jenny exclaimed happily as the young man rushed out of the house. Rory laughed and wrapped her in a hug, then gave the Doctor a warm handshake.

"Doctor, Jenny," he said with a smile.

"I appear to have crushed your flowers," the Doctor noted, glancing back at the TARDIS which had landed on a garden. Rory snickered.

"Oh, Amy will _kill_ you."

"Where is Amy, anyway?" Jenny asked.

"She'll need a bit longer," Rory replied, glancing back at the house.

"Whenever you're ready, Amy!" the Doctor called.

Amy waddled out a moment later, clearly pregnant, and Jenny couldn't contain an excited squeal. "Oh, you should have called us!" she exclaimed. "Hi, Amy!" The two woman shared a hug while the Doctor beamed.

"Oh, way-hey!" he shouted. "You've swallowed a planet!"

Amy rolled her eyes. "I'm pregnant."

"You're _huge_!"

Now she glared slightly. "Yeah, I'm pregnant."

"Look at you two! When worlds collide!"

"Dad-" Jenny started in exasperation, but then closed her mouth, shaking her head. Sometimes her father was the most oblivious man she had ever met...

"Oh, look at you both! Five years later and you haven't changed a bit, apart from age... and size."

Amy gave up around the same time as Jenny and laughed.

"It's good to see you Doctor," she smiled, wrapping him in a hug. He grinned back, then pulled away and looked at her.

"Are you pregnant?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Ah, Leadworth," the Doctor sighed as they walked through the town. "Vibrant as ever."

"Upper Leadworth," Jenny corrected. "They've gone upmarket."

"And how do you know that?"

"I made a phone call, it's very simple, and there's a telephone right there in the TARDIS. Can you believe that? A telephone inside of a phone box? Fascinating business."

He pouted slightly. "Shut up." Jenny just laughed. "So, where is everyone?"

"This is busy," Amy replied, looking around the mostly empty streets. The Doctor stared at her. "Okay, it's really quiet, but it's restful and healthy. Loads of people live well into their nineties."

"Well, don't let that get you down."

"Why would that be a bad thing?" Jenny countered.

"Why are you so argumentative?"

"You're the one who likes questions."

"...Shut up."

"We just wanted to see how you were," Jenny explained. "I mean, look at this. Makes a nice change from being chased by monsters. We don't just abandon people when they leave the TARDIS."

"These Time Lords are for life," the Doctor added. "You don't get rid of your old pals the Doctor and Jenny so easily!"

"You came by accident, didn't you."

The Doctor shrugged while Jenny nodded.

"If it's any consolation, we were planning to visit."

The three sat down on a park bench, Jenny perching on the wooden fence behind it.

"But look, what an accident!" he said in forced happiness. "Look at this bench. What a nice... bench. What will they think of next?" The Ponds nodded, content to sit for a moment. Jenny looked up at the cloudless blue sky. "So... what do you do to stave off the... you know..."

"Boredom?"

"Self-harm." Rory sighed.

"We relax." The Doctor frowned. Jenny nodded slightly. "We live. We listen to the birds."

"Yeah, birds are nice," Amy agreed.

"We didn't get time to listen to birdsong back in the TARDIS days, did we?"

"Yeah, we didn't," Jenny murmured, swaying slightly from her perch on the fence. "Not a lot of time for birdsong back in the good... old..."

They surrendered to unconsciousness.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"...days," the Doctor finished, waking up on the console floor. "What?" Amy and Rory walked in, looking down at him. "No, yes, sorry, what? Oh, you're okay!" He jumped up from the floor and wrapped them both in a hug. "Oh, thank God. I had a _terrible_ nightmare about the two of you. Don't ask. You don't want to know, you're safe now."

"O..kay..." Amy said slowly, pinned in the Doctor's arms. Rory stood there awkwardly, chin on the Doctor's shoulder.

"That's what counts," he continued. "Blimey, never dropped off like that before. Not once, although I am getting on a bit. Don't let the cool gear fool you." He stepped back, straightened his bow tie, and looked over at the TARDIS console. "Now, what's wrong with you? Red flashing lights, I bet they mean something."

"Er, Doctor, I also had kind of a dream... thing," Rory added, the two following behind him.

"Yeah, so did I," Amy agreed.

"Not a nightmare, though. Just- er... we were married..." Amy glanced over, nodding.

"Yeah, in a sweet little village."

"A sweet little village, and you were pregnant."

Amy glanced down at her flat stomach. "Yeah, I was... _huge_. I was a boat."

"So you had the same dream, then?" he continued. "Exactly the same dream?"

"Are you calling me a boat?!"

Rory's eyes widened, and he continued quickly, looking at the Doctor. "And you were visiting, Doctor. You came to our cottage, you and Jenny."

"But how can we have..." Amy trailed off, looking around.

"And you had a nightmare about us. What happened to us in the nightmare?"

The Doctor rubbed his hands together. "It was a bit similar, in some aspects."

"Which aspects?"

"...all of them?"

"You had the same dream," Rory stated.

"Basically."

"But you said-"

"Look, it doesn't matter. We had some sort of a psychic episode, probably jumped a time track or something. Forget it, we're back to reality now."

"Doctor?" Amy asked slowly. "If we're back to reality, then where's Jenny?"

They dozed off to the sound of birds singing.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Rory jerked his head off of the Doctor's shoulder with a start. "Oh! Sorry! Nodded off, stupid... God, I must be overdoing it. I was dreaming we were back on the TARDIS." The Doctor stood up, adjusting his braces. "You had the same dream, didn't you?"

"Weren't we just saying the same thing?" Amy asked.

"But this _was_ the dream," Rory pointed out. "Is this 'cause of you? Some... Time Lordy thing that goes on around you?"

"Trust nothing you see, hear, or feel," was the only reply. "You can't tell if you're awake or asleep, what is dream and what is reality."

The Doctor knelt down to Jenny's unconscious form, lying peacefully on the grass, eyes closed, blonde hair flicking slightly in the wind.

"This is going to be a tricky one."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Oh, this is bad!" the Doctor said as soon as he woke up on the TARDIS floor, everything dark save a faint glow from the console. "I don't like this!" He kicked the underside of the console only to jump back, holding his foot in pain. "Argh! Never use force! You just embarrass yourself. Unless you're cross, in which case, always use force."

"Should I get the manual?" Amy asked, looking around the dead room.

"I threw it in a supernova," he responded, looking around.

"You threw the manual in a supernova," Rory repeated. "Why?"

"Because I disagreed with it!" he snapped. "Stop talking to me when I'm cross. Where's Jenny?"

He hopped over the railing and ducked under the console, sighing as he found his daughter asleep in the seat strapped underneath the floor, sleeves rolled up, hands covered in grease and a set of repair tools next to her feet.

"Is she okay?" Amy asked, coming up behind him.

"She'll be fine," he replied quietly, taking her limp hands in his.

"Is there something wrong with the TARDIS?" Rory asked. "Is that what's causing us to dream about the future?"

"How do you know we were dreaming about the future?" Amy countered.

"We were in Leadworth," he replied. "Upper Leadworth."

"And we could still be in Upper Leadworth, dreaming of this," the Doctor said.

"No, this is real... I'm _definitely _awake now," Amy argued.

"You thought you were awake when you were all elephanty."

"Hey! _Pregnant_."

"And you could be giving birth right now! This could be the dream, I _told _you! Trust nothing, look around you, look for everything that doesn't ring true."

"Okay, we're in a spaceship that's bigger on the inside than the outside..." Rory started.

"...with a bow tie wearing alien..." Amy continued.

"...so maybe what 'rings true' isn't so simple," he finished.

"Valid point," the Doctor mumbled. Birds began to sing again. "Remember, _this is real_. When we wake up in the other place, remember how real this feels..."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny ducked down behind a piece of shattered debris, just barely large enough to cover her, but it was enough.

"_Commander, four troops coming in from the North Tunnel."_

"_Ma'am, we've got-"_

All other words were drowned out in a hail of gunfire, and she swore.

"This is Commander to base, Commander to base," she repeated. "We need reinforcements."

"_Base to Commander, we've given you all units possible. What's the situation?"_

She didn't respond, darting across the battlefield and taking out a few Hath in the process. Safely behind another piece of wall, she spoke into the earpiece.

"Bad, what do you think?

"_-Commander, we're getting slaughtered over here!"_

"_This is East Tunnel, we're being overwhelmed-"_

"_-can't hold them back much longer-"_

"_-Commander-!"_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"This feels solid," Amy said as soon as they woke up.

"Yes, but the TARDIS felt solid as well," the Doctor pointed out, scooping Jenny into his arms. "You can't spot a dream while you're having it. Come on, you have a house, we need to get Jenny somewhere safe."

Rory nodded, motioning for them to follow.

With Jenny safely lying on the couch, the Doctor stood up abruptly. "You said the people here live well into their nineties. Something about that doesn't make sense, so we're going to poke it with a stick."

Amy and Rory both went to the door. The Doctor spared one last look at his daughter.

"We're coming, Jen," he whispered. "I'm going to find you, I swear. I promise."

Outside, they walked to what Rory had said was the old persons' home. A couple of people said hello to Rory as they walked through the streets.

"You're a doctor," the Doctor mused.

"Yeah," Rory nodded, then smiled, speaking in a light teasing tone. "And unlike you, I've actually passed some exams."

The Doctor didn't smile. "A doctor, not a nurse. Just like you've always dreamed. Your dream wife, your dream job, probably your dream baby. Maybe this is your dream."

Rory blinked. "It's Amy's dream too... isn't it, Amy?"

"Yes," Amy said quickly. "Course it is, yeah."

When the nursing home came into sight the Doctor took off, Rory following at a jog. Amy groaned.

"Can we not do the running thing?" she shouted after them before hurrying along as best she could.

"Hello, Rory, love," an elderly woman said as the walked into a room.

"Hello, Mrs. Poggit," Rory replied with a smile. "How's your hip?"

"Bit stiff," she shrugged, picking up her knitting needles.

"Oh, easy, D-96 compound," the Doctor murmured, then paused. "No, wait, don't have that yet. Ignore me."

"Who's your friend?" Mrs. Poggit asked. "A junior doctor?"

Rory glanced between the two. "...Yes."

Mrs. Poggit beamed. "Can I borrow you? You're about the size of my grandson."

The Doctor wound up falling face-first into the woman's lap, sweater pulled over his jacket, eyes closed in sleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Okay, I hate this," Amy groaned, sitting up and looking over at the Doctor, who had fallen asleep holding Jenny's hands. "This one's the real one, it's got to be." He only frowned, rubbing his daughter's hands in order to warm them.

"It's cold," Rory murmured.

"The heating's off," the Doctor replied, glancing up at the deadened console.

"The heating's off?" he repeated.

"Yeah, put on a jumper." He pulled Jenny up out of the seat, and Amy helped him set her down on the console floor. "That's what I always do."

Rory shifted from foot to foot. "Yeah, er, sorry about Mrs. Poggit. She's really nice, though."

"Don't believe her nice old lady act."

"What do you mean, act?" Amy frowned.

"Everything's off." The Doctor ignored the question. "Sensors, core power, scanner's down so we can't even see where we're drifting. Something is overriding my controls..."

A man wearing a gray suit and a bow tie suddenly flickered into existence along the stairs. The Doctor turned to glare at him.

"Well, that took a while," the mystery man sighed. "Honestly, I'd heard such good things... Last of the Time Lords. The Oncoming Storm. Him in the bow tie."

"How did you get into my TARDIS," the Doctor snapped, glare deepening. "Who are you? What have you done to Jenny?"

The man smiled faintly. "Well, what to call me...? Hm, if you're the Time Lord, let's call me the Dream Lord. That works."

"What have you done to Jenny," the Doctor repeated.

"Oh, daughter dearest, she's fine. Think about it, Doctor."

There was a pause in which the three regarded the phantom man in the darkened room.

"Dream Lord," Amy finally said slowly, voice shaking. "Creates dreams."

The Dream Lord smirked. "It's all in the name. Spooky. Not quite there..."

He flickered out of existence and popped up behind Amy, causing her to jump.

"...And yet, very much here."

"Dream Lord," the Doctor repeated. "Dreams, delusions, cheap tricks."

"Good," the Dream Lord nodded. "Now, what about the gooseberry here? Does he get a guess?"

Rory frowned. "Listen, mate, if there's a gooseberry around here, it's the Doctor."

The Dream Lord merely chuckled.

"Well, now, there's a delusion I'm not responsible for."

Rory's frown deepened. "No, he is- isn't he, Amy?"

"Oh, Amy, have to sort your men out," the Dream Lord smiled. "_Choose_, even."'

"I have chosen," Amy stammered out. "Of course I've chosen." Standing close to the Doctor, she leaned over to lightly punch Rory in the shoulder. "It's you, stupid."

Rory only gave a tense smile. The Dream Lord popped up behind Amy.

"You can't fool me," he said darkly. "I've seen your dreams, some of them twice. Blimey, Amy, I'd blush if I had a blood supply or a real face."

"Where did you pick up this cheap cabaret act?" the Doctor snapped, interrupting, still glaring.

"You're one to talk," the Dream Lord scoffed. "If you had any more tawdry quirks, you could open up a tawdry quirk shop. Now, I've got other places to be, so here's the challenge. Two worlds. One in the time machine, one in the village that time forgot. One's real, the other's fake, both have a deadly danger." Birds began to chirp, and he glanced up towards the ceiling. "Tweet tweet, time to sleep."

The trio slowly sunk to the floor, trying in vain to keep their eyes open. The Dream Lord stared down at them.

"Oh... or are you waking up?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They woke up in the room at the nursing home, but everyone had vanished. The Doctor was still wearing the knitted sweater, and a moment later the Dream Lord walking in wearing a dark suit and tie, holding an x-ray in one hand, frowning in mock concern.

"Oh, this is bad," he said to the Doctor. "This is very, very bad. Your brain is completely see-through! But then again, I've always been able to see through you, Doctor."

"I won't ask again," the Doctor growled, voice deathly soft, fury boiling behind eerily calm eyes. "What have you done to my daughter?"

The Dream Lord only looked back impassively.

"You're always trying to get her to spread her fledgling wings and fly. I'm only helping her along. You've got your two realities, she's got a little world of her own. But no matter. You've got enough to deal with for now. Instead of one reality, take two, call me in the morning."

He winked and vanished.

"I don't like him," Rory muttered.

"Who is he?" Amy asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor shrugged. "It's a big universe. As to why he's doing this, I don't know either. Might be because he has no physical form. That gets you down after a while, so he's taking it out on normal people, people who can touch and eat and feel."

"But what does he mean, 'deadly danger'?" Rory quoted. "Nothing's happened here."

Suddenly back in his jacket, the Doctor stood up.

"They've all gone," he replied.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They were outside again near a playground and an old castle. A group of children and a teacher rushed past, the children acting as children should while the teacher attempted to keep them in some semblance of order.

"Why would they all leave?" Rory asked, glancing back the way they came. "And what did you mean about Mrs. Poggit's nice old lady act?"

"It's a tawdry quirk," the Doctor replied. "Sniffing out things that aren't exactly what they seem. Now, shut up, I'm thinking." The two obediently fell silent. "There's no time difference, time asleep in one world is time awake in the other, unlike conventional dreams. We're all dreaming the same dream at the same time, some sort of communal trance..." _If Jenny were here she could think of something-_ "Very rare, very complicated, and there's obviously a dream giveaway but my mind isn't working because this village is _so dull_!"

His voice had escalated to a shout by the end, and Rory flinched at the volume. Amy silently fumed, then doubled over in sudden pain.

"Ow!" she shrieked. "Ow, okay, it's coming." The two men were at her side in an instant. "Okay, it's coming, it's really coming this time."

"Okay, you're a doctor, help her," the Doctor said to Rory.

"_You're_ a doctor!" the other man countered.

"Trust us, we're both doctors."

"What do we do?!"

Amy continued to take a few more labored breaths before straightening up, perfectly fine. "Okay, it's not coming."

The two gaped at her. She glared back.

"This is _my_ life now, and it just turned you as white as a sheet," she said to the Doctor. "Don't you call it dull again, okay?"

The Doctor nodded weakly. Amy gave a pleased smile, then sat down on one of the nearby swings, but her smile quickly faded as birds began to chirp again.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"_Commander, we're being overrun back here!"_

Jenny fired a few more shots before ducking down. Screams echoed around the stone walls, but her voice betrayed none of her grief.

"West Tunnel, Base isn't sending any more troops, they can't afford to. I'll see if South Tunnel can spare some men. Don't let them breach the perimeter!"

Leaning against the wall behind her, she took the rare opportunity to regain her breath, but glanced around in confusion as a new sound permeated the screams of the dying.

"Birds...?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Her eyes shot open, and with a startled gasp, she toppled off the chair next to the TARDIS console and onto the metal grating next to the console. Her father frowned, glancing down at her.

"You okay, Jen?" he asked lightly. "Not like you to doze off like that."

She frowned, breathing heavily, thoughts whirling and eyes unfocused.

"I... I just..." She ran her hands over her face. "Just a... really weird dream, that's all."

He set down whatever gizmo he had been working on this time and sat down next to her, long brown trench coat spilling out behind him. "Want to talk about it?"

Jenny shrugged, pulling herself into a more comfortable sitting position.

"It was... you'd regenerated. You wore bow ties and you looked younger than me. The TARDIS was different too... all shiny... like stepping inside a penny. And we were traveling with these two people, a man and a woman..." She shook her head. "It was just weird. Forget it."

Her father was wearing an odd expression. "_Bow ties_? Yeah, you were definitely dreaming, Jen. I'm not that insane. Go on, go grab Donna from wherever she's wandered off too. I think it's time we took a little break, don't you think? How does Felspoon sound?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Amy and Rory wrapped a couple of blankets around themselves. It was cold enough that their breath was visible in the air, and the TARDIS showed no signs of warming up. The Doctor wrapped Jenny in a blanket, then ducked underneath the console. He came back up a few moments later with a whisk, rope, and bottle opener all fused together into some odd tool. He plugged part of it into the console and tossed it to Rory.

"Wind," he ordered.

Rory glanced down at it. "I was promised amazing worlds, and I get duff central heating and a weird, kitcheny wind-up device."

"It's a generator. Wind."

"Why is the Dream Lord picking on you?" Amy asked as Rory began to wind the 'generator'. "On us?"

The Doctor ignored her question, looking over as the scanner hanging down from the TARDIS ceiling flickered to life.

"We're in trouble," he muttered, staring at the images and Gallifrey writing scrawling across the screen.

"What is that," Rory asked, coming to the Doctor's side. The three looked in confusion at the massive blue orb.

"It's a cold star." He crossed the room and opened the doors, looking out. The other two shivered. "That's why we're freezing. It's not a heating malfunction, it's a star burning cold. That's our deadly danger for this reality."

"So this has got to be the dream," Amy said. "Stars can't be cold, they burn."

"Yes, and this one is burning cold."

"Is that possible?" Rory asked.

"I can't know everything," he replied tersely, glaring. "Why does everybody expect me to know everything?"

"But if this is something you haven't seen before, is this the dream?"

"_I don't know_!" They jumped at the sudden outburst. "But there it is, and we have about fourteen minutes until we crash into it, but that's not our problem. We'll have frozen to death by then."

"Then what do we do?" Amy asked quietly, not wanting to provoke another round of shouting. With his daughter helpless the Time Lord was on edge, nerves frayed, barely keeping himself calm.

"Don't get sucked into it, because this might be the battle that we have to lose."

"Oh, this is so you, isn't it?"

The Doctor, whose gaze had slowly drifted over to Jenny as he spoke, snapped back to Rory with a frightening intensity.

"Sorry, what?"

"A weird new star, fourteen minutes left to live, and only one man to save the day, huh?" Rory scoffed. "I just wanted a nice village and a family."

The Dream Lord flickered back into existence then, smiling. "Oh, dear, Doctor. Dissent in the ranks, hm?" He paused, then smiled again. "There was an old doctor from Gallifrey, who ended up throwing his life away. He let down his friends and daughter as well-"

They all looked up as birdsong became audible once again, and the Dream Lord plastered an expression of mock-surprise onto his face. The Doctor grasped the railing for support as sleep began to beckon.

"Oh, no," he said. "We've run out of time. Don't spend too long there, or you'll catch your death here."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny let out a low groan as she sat up, eyes adjusting to the darkness. The sounds of battle had dimmed into nothing, and there was a heavy silence mixed in with the shadows and the dust.

"Commander to Base, do you read me?"

Only static from her communicator.

"Commander to Base, do you copy?"

Static.

She sighed and began checking her body for injuries. She couldn't even see and her torch was missing from its clip on her belt. Not much else to do but wait...

A frown crossed over her features as fragments of a dream came sliding back, but she dismissed them.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Where have the children gone?" the Doctor asked, looking around the abandoned field near the old castle. There was grass and molehills scattered around, but everybody else was gone.

"Don't know," Rory shrugged. "Playtime's over? Doctor, what are you doing?"

They looked over to where the Doctor was picking up gray dust from the molehills and running it through his fingers. He looked up at Rory.

"You're right," he said quietly. "Playtime is definitely over."

Amy's eyes widened and she looked sick.

"What happened to them?" Rory asked faintly.

The Doctor merely looked across at the elderly people walking along down the street.

"I think they did."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny awoke with a start, only to find the familiar coral walls of the TARDIS an eery blue-green, the only light in the room coming from the glow of the time rotor.

"Who are you," she demanded of the man in front of her. He wore a dark tweed jacket and a bow tie. The man smiled, kneeling down so he was eye level with her.

"Oh, Jenny, Jenny, Jenny," he tutted. "Silly little girl. I've always been here."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"They're just old people!" Amy protested as the Doctor ran towards the group.

"No, they're _very_ old people," he corrected. "Sorry, Rory, I don't think you're what's been keeping them alive."

The Dream Lord popped into existence alongside them, walking calmly.

"Hello, peasants," he greeted cheerfully. "What's this, attack of the old people? Oh, that's ridiculous. This has got to be the dream, hasn't it? What do you think, Amy?" Amy didn't reply. "Ooo, here's a thought! Let's all jump under a bus and wake up in the TARDIS. You first!"

"Leave her alone," the Doctor snapped.

"Do that again," the Dream Lord smirked in reply, then turning to the Ponds. "I love it when he does that. Tall dark hero, '_leave her alone!'_"

"Just leave her!" Rory echoed, glaring. The Dream Lord sneered at him.

"Yes, you're not so impressive. But I know where you're heart lies, don't I, Amy Pond?"

"Shut up," Amy said quickly, glancing away. "Shut up and leave me alone."

"But listen," the Dream Lord continued, ignoring her plea. "You're in there. Loves a redhead, the Doctor. Has he told you about Miss Noble?"

"Drop it!" the Doctor cut in, going far enough as to grab the Dream Lord be the lapels of his jacket and turn him so they were facing each other. "Drop all of it! I know who you are."

"Course you don't," the Dream Lord scoffed.

"Course I do," the Doctor countered. "I don't know how you can be here, but there's only one person in the universe who hates me as much as you do."

There was a pause before the other man shrugged, nodded. "Never mind me. Maybe you should worry about them."

"Hello," Rory said to the group of elderly people walking towards them. The Dream Lord disappeared into the air.

"Hello, we were wondering where you went," the Doctor said. "To get reinforcements, by the look of it."

"Hello, Mr. Nainby," Rory said to one man stepping forwards from the rest of the group. The Doctor shot him a warning glance that was promptly disregarded. "It's okay," he explained. "Mr. Nainby ran the sweet shop. He used to slip me a free toffee or two."

Nainby took another step forward to grab Rory by the collar and lift him off of his feet. The nurse's eyes widened.

"Did I not say thank you?" he asked weakly.

The reply was rather clear as he was tossed across the grass and into the mud by the swings.

The group shuffled forwards a bit more, then opened their mouths. Amy recoiled a moment later as a large, green, reptilian eye appeared.

"There is an eye in her mouth," she finally choked out.

"There's a whole creature inside of her, inside all of them," the Doctor corrected. "They've been there for years, living and waiting."

"That's disgusting," Rory muttered, standing up unsteadily. "They're not going to be poking out of anywhere else, are they?"

Mrs. Poggit hissed a cloud of sickly green gas towards them, and they jumped backwards, the Doctor instinctively pushing the two humans behind them.

"Run," he said quickly, frantically. "Get back to your house, don't leave, watch Jenny. Go on, leave!"

They ran off, the Doctor sliding around the edge of the group to prevent their advance. "Talk to me," he said. "Talk to me. You are... Eknodines. A proud, ancient race. You're better than this! Why are you hiding away here? Why aren't you at home?"

"We were driven from our planet by-" Mrs. Poggit began in a low, grating voice obviously not her own.

"-planet by upstart neighbors," the Doctor finished.

_How many times have we heard this one, Jen?_

He did his best not to flinch when no reply came back from the empty void.

"So we've-" Nainby started.

"-been living here inside the bodies of old humans for years," he finished again. "Hence the reason why you live so long. Okay, makes sense, I suppose. Credible enough, could be real..."

A young boy biking the paper route slowly came past, giving the group a brief smile. A moment later he was nothing more than ash. The Doctor's gaze darkened.

"You need to leave this planet."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"What are you talking about?" Jenny demanded, doing her best not to let on how shaken up she was. _Where's Dad? Donna? Who are you?_

"Oh, look at you, calling out to Daddy for help," the man mocked. "He's not coming."

"What are you talking about?" she said. "Of course he's coming, he always comes."

"You think you're his only daughter? The joy of his life? He's nine hundred years old, he had children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and so on back on Gallifrey. The first person he ever traveled with was his granddaughter, actually. Lovely girl, very intelligent. He left her sometime in Earth's future with a human lad. Locked her out of the TARDIS, told her goodbye, and vanished. Never came back."

"That's not the same-"

"How is it not the same, Jen? Hmm? He'll leave you, just like all the others, no matter how hard you try to prove your worth to him. Believe me, I should know."

"Who _are _you?" she repeated.

The man leaned in closer.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor stumbled into the butcher's shop, fighting the effect of the bird song and ignoring the Dream Lord taunting him from behind the counter.

"Oh, I love a good butcher's, don't you?" he asked lightly. "We've got to use these places or they'll shut down. But you're probably a vegetarian, aren't you? You big flop-haired wuss."

"Pipe down, I'm a little busy!"

"Maybe you need a little sleep?" The Doctor slumped to the floor, eyes barely open, straining for the storage room in the hallway. "Oh, wait a moment. If you fall asleep here, several dozen angry pensioners will destroy with their... horrible eye things." Continuing to ignore the Dream Lord, he shoved his fingers in his ears and staggered to his feet. "Brilliant. Fingers in the ears. What's next, shouting 'boo'? Oh, come in, come in!"

The old people shuffled into the store, past the counter, towards the Doctor.

"Yes, we've got lots at steak here this week," the Dream Lord called after them. "Lots at steak, get it?" The Doctor glared. "Are these jokes lost on you?"

The Doctor managed to lock himself in the storage room before collapsing.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Ah, it's colder," Amy groaned as they woke up in the TARDIS.

"The three of us need to decide, _now_, which is the dream," the Doctor said firmly, grimacing as he sat up, eyes flickering over to Jenny. She was covered in a thin layer of frost.

"This is the dream," Rory replied.

"He could be right," Amy shrugged. "The science is all wrong. Burning ice?"

"It's a big universe. Ice can burn, sofas can read, we need to chose which battle to lose!"

"Which one do you think is real?" Amy asked gently, stretching out her hand slightly as if to touch the Doctor's shoulder before pulling back, afraid of another outburst.

"This one," the Doctor replied after a moment.

"No, the other one," Rory frowned. The Doctor glared.

"Are we disagreeing or competing?"

"Competing over _what-"_

"Nine minutes till impact," the Doctor interrupted. "We need to choose. _Now_."

"What temperature is it?" Amy asked.

"Outside? Very cold. Inside? Still cold, can't feel my feet and... other parts."

"I think all my parts are basically fine," Rory added.

"Stop competing!" He glared as Rory moved towards the telephone. "Don't even bother, the universe isn't small enough for there to be someone nearby."

"Would you two put these on before you get hypothermia?" Amy held out blankets that she had cut slits in the middle of so they were wearable.

"Oh, a poncho," Rory muttered, pulling the blanket over his head. "The biggest crime against fashion since lederhosen."

"Hey, don't think I'm going to let you freeze," Amy said quickly as the Doctor went to put his blanket over Jenny. He glanced over; she held up another blanket. "Give this one to her. My boys, if we are going down, we are going down like a Peruvian folk band."

"We're not going to die," Rory said.

"No, we aren't," the Doctor agreed. "But we're running out of time. If we fall asleep we're in trouble. If we could divide up it would be easier, we'd have an active presence in each world, but the Dream Lord is keeping us apart and I don't even _know_ where Jenny is- What's the _point_? What's the logic?"

"Splitting up?" the Dream Lord asked. "Good idea. Let me have a little chat with our lady companion, and you two can try and find some sort of reality to clamber onto."

The Doctor and Rory quickly looked over at each other, eyes wide, then back at Amy.

"Can you hear that?" Rory asked. Amy looked around in confusion.

"No."

"Don't be scared," the Doctor assured as he slowly began to sink towards the floor. "We'll be back-"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"You're lying," Jenny spat at the man, fumbling around in the dark for her weapon and aiming it towards his head. "You're lying, this isn't real."

"Oh, but Jenny, _Jen_, have I ever lied to you before? Why on Gallifrey should I start now? Don't you trust me, dear-"

A single gunshot rang out.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor pushed past the group of people pounding against the storage room door, the sonic screwdriver blasting out a frequency at _just_ the right pitch to keep them at bay. Outside, he sprinted across the parking lot, jumping into a camper van nearby and shooting the man in the passenger's seat a quick glance.

"It's okay," he said quickly. "It's only me."

They drove through the streets, stopping only briefly to pull people into the back, into safety, finally stopping at an old church.

"Everybody out," he ordered. "Out, out, out, into the church. That's right, quickly. Don't asnwer the doors!"

Tires screeched as he pulled away.

"I've been talking with our daughter," the Dream Lord said suddenly, glancing over at him. "Quite the spirited girl, such passion, such _loyalty_ in those two hearts of hers. Do you realize the extent that she'd go to just to defend you?"

"I need to find my friends," came the reply.

"I thought you wanted to find Jenny?"

"I know who you are. I know _what _you are, and I know how I can stop this. Jenny will wake up when this is fixed. In the meanwhile, I need to find my friends."

"Friends?" the Dream Lord repeated. "Is that the right word for the people you... acquire? Friends are people you stay in touch with, but _your _friends never see you again once they've grown up. Your family too, come to think. The old man prefers the company of the young..."

He vanished as the Doctor pulled up in front of the cottage.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Amy and Rory jumped in surprise as the Doctor climbed in through the window, falling to the floor with a thud. He took in the room, yellow walls, crib in the corner, glanced at the chair propped against the door, Jenny resting on the floor with a pillow underneath her head-

"Sorry, had to stop off at the butchers," he said by way of explanation.

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," came the reply. "I thought the freezing TARDIS was real but now-"

"Oh!"

The two men looked over at Amy. The woman had doubled over, one hand tightly gripping the railing of the crib, the other wrapped around her stomach. "I think the baby's starting."

"Honestly?!"

"Would I make it up at a time like this!"

"Well you do have a history of..." Amy glared darkly at Rory, sliding down into a sitting position, and he quickly changed the ending of his sentence. "...being very lovely! Why are they so desperate to kill us?"

"They're scared," the Doctor replied grimly. "Fear generates savagery."

They all jumped again as something was thrown through the window, glass shattering everywhere. Rory jumped to his feet, moving over to take a look, but the next instant Mrs. Poggit appeared in front of him, hissing out green gas. He fell backwards, crying out as the gas touched him. The Doctor jumped to his feet, but Jenny got there first, lamp clutched tightly in her hands. Mrs. Poggit toppled backwards, and the lamp was thrown down at her out the window for good measure.

There was no time to rejoice, though. Rory was leaning against the crib, Amy cupping his face in her hands.

"I'm not ready..." he whispered weakly, glancing down as he began to turn to dust.

"Stay," Amy begged. He looked up at her.

"Look after our baby..."

"No." Jenny closed her eyes as Rory disappeared. "No. Come back." She looked up at the Time Lords, tears in her eyes. "Save him. You save everyone, you always do."

"Not always."

It was Jenny who spoke, quiet, calm, almost subdued.

"I'm sorry."

"Then _what_ is the _point_ of you?" She took a final look at the pile of dust on the ground before standing up. "This is the dream. Definitely this one. Now, if we die here, we wake up, yeah?"

"Unless we just die," he said softly.

"This is the dream," she repeated. "It's my only chance, either way. If this is real life, I don't want it. I _don't_ want it."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They walked out of the cottage, the elderly people doing nothing whatsoever to stop them.

"Why aren't they attacking?"

"Because they know what we're about to do."

The Doctor handed Amy the keys to the van. She climbed into the driver's seat, the Doctor and Jenny slid in through the passenger door without a word, ignoring the Dream Lord leaning against the side of the van.

"I love Rory," Amy said weakly, turning the key in the ignition. "I love him, and I never told him, but now he's gone."

They drove forwards.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Inside the TARDIS, a thick layer of frost covered everything, including the four bodies lying still underneath their blankets. Everything was silent.

The Doctor opened his eyes and looked across the room. Jenny began to stir a moment later, and Amy slowly reached over to grasp Rory's hand in her own.

"So..." the Dream Lord sighed. "You chose this world. And with only seconds left. Fair's fair, let's warm you up." He snapped his fingers and the lights came back on. "I hope you've enjoyed your little fictions. It all came out of your imagination, so I'll leave you to ponder on that. I have been defeated, I shall withdraw. Farewell."

The Doctor got to his feet and pulled Jenny into a hug, not saying anything, just holding her close.

_I thought I'd lost you._

_I'm... okay, Dad. I'm fine._

_Are you sure?_

_I'm fine._

_...Jenny._

She looked up, blue eyes filling with tears.

_He was... and I saw such horrible things, Dad, he said so many things..._

_He's not going to hurt you, Jen. I won't let him, I promise._

"What are we doing now?" Amy asked as the Doctor pulled away, giving Jenny what he hoped was a comforting smile and wiping the tears from her eyes before turning around and starting up the TARDIS.

"Me, I'm going to blow up the TARDIS," he said calmly.

Rory gaped. "_What_?"

"Notice how helpful the Dream Lord was?" They continued to stare. "Okay, there was misinformation, red herrings, malice, and a lot of other things I could have done without, but he was always very keen to make us choose between dream and reality." He finished with a laugh, pulling another lever.

"What are you doing?!" Amy repeated.

"Doctor! The Dream Lord conceded, this isn't the dream!"

"Yes, it is! Star burning cold. Do me a favor! The Dream Lord has no power in the real world. He was offering us a choice between two dreams."

"How do you know that?"

Jenny looked at her seriously. "Because we know who he is."

The TARDIS exploded and everything faded into black.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor leaned against the console, looking down at something in his hand. His other arm was wrapped around Jenny in a side hug; his daughter was resting her head on his chest.

"Any questions?" he asked.

Amy glanced at his hand. "What's that?"

"Psychic pollen from the candle meadows of Karass don Slava," he replied. "Must have been hanging around for ages. Fell in the time rotor, heated up and induced a dream state."

He slipped away, walking over to the doors and blowing the particles out into space.

"So... that was the Dream Lord then, those little specks?"

"No, no, sorry, wasn't it obvious?" They looked at him blankly. "The Dream Lord was _me_. Psychic pollen, it's a mind parasite. It feeds on everything dark in you. Gives it a voice, turns it against you... I'm 907, it had a lot to go on."

"But... why didn't it feed on us? Or Jenny?"

"Darkness? In you three? Ha!" He let out a short laugh. "It would have starved to death in an instant. I choose my friends with great care. Otherwise I'm stuck with my own company, and that's never fun. Now, Amy, right now a question is about to occur to Rory." He grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around. "Seeing as the answer is about to change his life, I think you should give him your full attention." He pushed her towards Rory and walked to the other side of the console room. Jenny fell into step beside him.

_Are you sure you're okay?_

...I'm not right now. But I will be.

"You blew up the TARDIS, that stopped the dream, but what stopped the Leadworth dream?" Rory was asking.

"...We crashed the camper van," Amy replied. Rory nodded slowly.

"I don't remember that bit."

"No, you were already..."

"Already what?"

"Dead," she blurted out. "You died in that dream."

"Okay." Rory paused, looking around. "But how did you know it was a dream? Before you crashed the van, how did you know you wouldn't just... die?"

"I didn't."

He blinked. "Oh."

"Yeah.""_Oh._"

"Yeah, oh."

The Doctor leaned over to Jenny as the two kissed.

"Should I interrupt or should we pop down to the swimming pool or the library or something."

Rory, having heard him, pulled back and smiled.

"Anywhere's good for me. I'm happy anywhere. It's up to Amy this time. Amy's choice."

The Doctor grinned, clapped his hands, pulled his daughter towards the console with a laugh.

He ignored the reflection of the Dream Lord staring back at him.

* * *

**Fixed up the formatting issues in the last chapter, now that the website's stopped being temperamental. Heh, this was a really fun chapter to write. I haven't gotten my series of drabbles for this story up yet and there isn't always a lot of time to really get inside a character's head during the episode without breaking the flow. Call me Moffat, but I found the psychology and stuff in this to be a nice change of pace. (spoiler alert: you'll see more similar things when we get to **_**The God Complex**_** ;) haha). On another note, there are exchange students from Spain coming to our school for the next week, and everything is going to be incredibly busy until they leave again on the 8****th****. And I'm sick. Therefore, the chapter might be a bit late, but everything should be going back to normal afterward.**


	20. The Hungry Earth

The Doctor laughed as he landed the TARDIS, throwing down a lever to keep them grounded before bounding over to the doors.

"Behold!" he shouted, flinging them open. "Rio!"

The sight that greeted the four was a small cemetery, old and overgrown with varying patches of grass.

"Nuh-uh," Amy tutted, stepping out.

"Not really getting the sunshine carnival vibe," Rory added.

Jenny merely rolled her eyes and stepped out of the TARDIS, bouncing on her heels and glancing over at her father. The Doctor was frowning, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet before starting to bounce in place.

"That's weird," he muttered.

"What's weird?" Rory asked.

"Doctor, stop trying to distract us," Amy sighed. "We're in the wrong place." The Doctor ignored her, running across the graveyard and around a small building. The three followed after him. "Doctor, it's freezing and I've dressed for Rio. We are _not_ stopping here." He continued to ignore her, crouching down and plucking some of the grass. Jenny followed suit. "Doctor! Jenny! Are either of you listening? It's a graveyard! You promised us a beach."

"Blue grass," he mused.

"Patches of it all around the graveyard," Jenny continued, standing up. "So, Earth, 2020-ish..."

"...ten years in your future..."

"...wrong continent for Rio, but not a massive overshoot."

Amy glanced up, tilting her head to one side as she saw two people across the valley waving at the trio.

"Why are those people waving at us?"

The Doctor looked up and stared.

"Can't be," he murmured, standing up next to Jenny. Rory began to wave back, but Amy put a hand on his arm. The Doctor pulled out a pair of binoculars from his pocket and looked through them, then passed it to Jenny. She peered through the lenses at the duo, then slowly lowered them. Her eyes were wide.

"No way..." she breathed.

"But it is!" the Doctor exclaimed. "It's you two!"

Rory blinked. "No, we're here. How can we be up there?!"

"Ten years in your future," Jenny murmured.

"Come to relive past glories, I'd imagine."

"Humans are rather nostalgic."

"We're still together in ten years?"

Rory frowned. "No need to sound so surprised!"

Amy gave him an apologetic look, but then her eyes brightened and she looked towards the Doctor. "Hey, let's go and talk to them! We can say hi to Future Us! How cool is that?"

"No, best not," the Doctor said quickly. "Really best not. These things get complicated very quickly, and..."

Jenny's eyes landed on a large mining contraption off in the distance, on the opposite side of the valley from the future Amy and Rory. She gave her father a mental nudge, and he followed her gaze. "Dad, big mining thing!" He grinned.

"Oh, big mining thing!" he laughed. "See, way better than Rio! Rio doesn't have a big mining thing!"

"We're not going to have a look, are we-"

"Let's go and have a look! Come on, Jen!"

The two Time Lords began making their way down the valley, leaving Amy and Rory standing in their wake, shaking their heads in exasperation.

"If he can't get us to Rio, how's he ever going to get us back home?" Rory asked Amy.

"You saw us over there. It all works out fine."

"So after everything we've done, everything we've seen, we just drop back into our old lives? The nurse and the kissogram?"

"I guess," she said slowly, shrugging. "Come on, he's getting away." She took him by the hand, but Rory stopped and looked at her sharply.

"Hang on," he said, pointing at her hand. "What are you doing with that?"

Amy glanced down at her ring finger. "Engagement ring! I thought you liked me wearing it."

"Amy! You could lose it! Cost..." Amy gave him a brief look. "...a lot of money, that!"

"Hmm. Spoilsport," she laughed, and handed him back the ring.

"Go on, I'll catch up with you," he said, turning and walking back to the TARDIS.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The three stopped in front of a large gate in front of the drill site, a good ten feet high and padlocked.

"'Restricted access'," the Doctor read from the sign bolted to the front. "'No unauthorized personnel'. Hmm."

He pointed the sonic at the lock. It sparked, then clanged open a moment later. Amy raised an eyebrow.

"That is breaking and entering," she pointed out. Jenny laughed as she walked through.

"Sonicing and entering," she corrected. "Completely different. Come on."

They walked through the hallways of the drilling station, the Doctor bouncing as he walked along, Jenny occasionally running ahead and jumping in place a couple of times.

"What about now, can you feel it now?" the Doctor demanded, looking over at Amy.

"Honestly, I've got no idea what you're talking about."

"The ground doesn't feel like it should," Jenny called back, doing a couple of experimental cartwheels.

"It's ten years in the future," Amy pointed out. "Maybe this is how it always feels."

"Good thought!" the Doctor nodded. "But no. It doesn't." Jenny paused, going from a cartwheel into a crouch, head tilted to one side, listening.

"Hear that?" she asked. The Doctor nodded again. "Drill in start-up mode."

"Afterwaves of a recent seismological shift and blue grass," the Doctor continued. He twirled the blades of grass between his fingers before putting it in his mouth, chewing on it. Jenny rolled her eyes at the disgusted face that came a moment later as he spat it back out and pulled the rest from his tongue.

"Oh, please!" Amy exclaimed. "Have you always been this disgusting?"

The Doctor paused, looking at her. "...No. That's recent."

Jenny snickered. "No it's not."

He glared, but didn't counter. "What's in..." He walked through a doorway to a room, where a woman was standing next to some drill monitors. "...here. Hello!"

The woman looked up in shock. "Who are you?" she asked incredulously. "What're you doing here?" She paused and looked at Amy's short skirt before frowning at the tight navy blue leather-type Jenny wore. "And what're you _wearing_?"

"I dressed for Rio!" Amy protested at the same time Jenny shrugged and muttered that it was durable so it didn't really matter.

The Doctor ignored her and took out the psychic paper. "Ministry of Drills, Earth, and Science!" he said happily. "New Ministry, quite big, just merged, lot of responsibility on our shoulders, don't like to talk about it." He tucked the wallet back into his pocket. "What are _you_ doing?"

"None of your business," the woman replied.

The Doctor walked over to the monitors. "Where are you getting those readings from?"

"Under the soil."

"The drill's up and running again-" Jenny turned around at the sound of another voice, and she regarded the older man calmly as he froze and stared at the group. "What's going on? Who are these people?"

The elder Time Lord knelt down and began poking at the hole in the middle of the floor, not answering, so Amy took it upon herself to give the man something resembling a coherent reply. "Amy, Jenny, the Doctor," she said as simply as she could.

"Why's there a big patch of earth in the middle of your floor?" the Doctor asked, motioning vaguely towards Jenny. _Come here, Jen, take a look at this._

"We don't know, it just appeared overnight."

_That's bad._

_Very bad. Excellent observation, Jenny._

_Stop being sarcastic!_

_I'm not._

_You sound like you are._

_We're __thinking__, please explain to me how I can sound sarcastic when I'm __thinking__ to you-_

The Doctor stood up about halfway through their mini debate and rushed over to the monitor.

"You need to get out of here very fast," he said aloud, effectively cutting off the mental counter-argument.

"Why?" the woman demanded. Jenny glanced up as Amy knelt down next to her.

"What's your name?" the Doctor asked after a pause.

"Nasreen Chaudry."

"Look at the screens, Nasreen, your readings. It's moving."

"Hey, that's specified equipment!" the man protested as the Doctor and Nasreen looked at the screen. "Get away from it!"

The three wound up standing around the screen, staring at the readings.

"What's moving?" Nasreen asked.

Jenny's attention was quickly diverted from their conversation as Amy nudged her arm a few times.

"Steam," she murmured, the duo staring at the hole, where steam was slowly rising from the ground. "Dad, steam," she repeated, louder. The Doctor looked over at her. "Is that a good thing?"

"Shouldn't think so," he replied, looking over his shoulder at the steam, then walking over. "It's shifting when it shouldn't be shifting."

"_What_ shouldn't?" Nasreen questioned.

In reply, or perhaps in lack of, the ground began to shake, and Jenny quickly shifted balance in order not to fall over.

"The ground, the soil, the earth," she answered. "Call it what you will, but we just need to figure out _how_."

"And why," the Doctor added, running back to the monitor.

"Is it an earthquake?" Amy asked.

"Doubt it," Jenny replied. "Because-"

"-it's only happening under this room," her father finished.

More holes began to pop up around the room, and Jenny stood up, pulling Amy to her feet as well.

"It knows we're here," she murmured, backing away. "The ground's... attacking us?"

"That's not possible!" Nasreen protested.

"Never mind that," the Doctor said. "Just run!"

He grabbed Nasreen by the hand and they ran for the door. Tony, Amy, and Jenny made to follow suit, but froze as Tony's leg got trapped in a hole.

"Stay back!" the Doctor shouted as they rushed to his side. "Jenny! Amy, stay away from the earth!"

"It's okay," Jenny said quickly, and the two pulled him up from the ground. "Go on-"

The ground opened up underneath Amy's feet and she was pulled down to her knees.

"Jenny!" she shouted. "Doctor, something's got me!"

"_Amy!"_

The Time Lords grabbed her by the hands, Jenny going far enough as to wrap her arms around Amy's waist and brace her feet against the edge of the hole, trying to pull upwards.

"Doctor, it's got my legs," she whispered fearfully.

"We've got you," he assured. "It's okay, it's gonna be okay."

"Don't let go."

"Never," Jenny promised.

"Stay calm, keep hold of my hands," the Doctor whispered. "Don't let go." He craned his neck, turning to look at Nasreen and Tony. "Your drill, shut it down! Go! Now!" They ran out of the room.

"Can you get me out?" Amy asked softly.

"Just try and stay calm," he repeated. "If you struggle, it'll make things worse. Keep holding onto my hand. Jenny's got you, we're gonna get you out. I'm not going to let you go."

She slipped downwards even more, Jenny's hands sliding underneath the ground, and the Doctor lost his grip. "Doctor, it's pulling me down, something's pulling me!"

"Stay calm, hold on, if they can just shut down the drill-"

"I can't hold on!"

All that was showing now of Amy was her head and arms, the Doctor struggling to hold onto her. Jenny was lying on her stomach, arms buried up past her elbows.

"What's pulling me?" she whispered. "What is under the earth? I don't want to suffocate down there."

"Amy, concentrate," Jenny ordered. "Don't give up."

"Tell Rory..."

"No!" Jenny tightened her grip. "Amy!"

The Doctor could only stare in horror as Amy was sucked under, and his hearts stopped as the worst possible happened. Jenny's eyes met his for just a second, but refusing to let go of Amy, she too was sucked under.

"_No!"_ He frantically clawed at the ground, digging up nothing but soil. "No!" In desperation he waved the sonic over the hole, but the ground remained cold and motionless, and he sank to his knees. "No..."

Nasreen and Tony ran back inside, only to stop and look around. "Where... where are they?"

"She's gone," he whispered. "Both gone... the ground took them..."

_What, you think you can get rid of me that easily?_

His eyes widened. _Jenny?_

_Who else? It's okay, Dad. I'm fine, we're both fine._

_You're sure? Where's Amy?_

_I can see her, although she's unconscious. We're in some kind of cavern, under the ground. Listen, don't worry about us. Figure out what's happening. I'll protect Amy, you keep a calm head, try and figure out what's happening._

"Is that what happened to Mo?" Tony asked as he got to his feet. "Are they dead?"

He shook his head, starting to pace. "It's not quicksand," he muttered. "She didn't sink, something pulled them both in, it wanted them."

"The ground _wanted _her?" Nasreen repeated.

"You said the ground was dormant," he pointed out. "Just a patch of earth when you first saw it this morning. And the drill had been stopped."

"That's right," Tony said slowly.

"But when you restarted the drill, the ground fought back."

Nasreen started. "So what, the ground wants us to stop drilling? Doctor, that is ridiculous."

"I'm not saying that," he sighed, flashing the sonic at the ground again, "and it's not ridiculous, I just don't think it's right." He glanced at the readings and a grin spread across his face. "Oh! Of course! It's bio-programming!"

"What?"

"Bio-programming! Oh, clever." He spun around to face them. "You use bio-signals to resonate the internal molecular structure of natural objects! It's mainly used in engineering and construction, mostly jungle planets, but that's way in the future... what's it doing here?"

"Sorry, did you just say _jungle planets?_"

"You're not making any sense, man!"

"Scuse me, I'm making perfect sense." He looked at them both pointedly. "You're just not keeping up. The earth, the ground beneath our feet, was bio-programmed to attack."

Nasreen sighed. "Yeah, even if that were possible, which, by the way, it's not, why?"

"Stop you drilling! We find what's doing the bio-programming, find Jenny, find Amy, get them back- Shh!" The two frowned. "Shh, shh! Have I gone mad? I've gone mad!"

They shared a concerned glance. "Doctor-"

"Shh!" he repeated. "Silence! Absolute silence! You stopped the drill, right?"

"Yes," Nasreen said as though it should be obvious.

"And you've only got the one drill?"

"Yes!" she insisted.

"You're sure about that?"

"_Yes_," Tony groaned.

The Doctor got down on his stomach and pressed his ear to the ground. "So, if you shut the drill down... why can I still hear drilling? It's under the ground..."

"That's not possible," Tony said.

The Doctor ignored him, standing up and running to the monitors, using the sonic.

"No, what are you doing?" Nasreen rushed to his side.

"Hacking into your records," he said brightly. "Reports, samples, sensors, good, just unite the data, make it all one big conversation, let's have a look." A diagram popped up onto the screen. "So. We are here and this is your drill hole. Twenty-one-point-zero-zero-nine kilometers. Well done! Jenny would be fascinated by that..."

"It's taken us a long time," Nasreen nodded.

"Why here, though?" he asked curiously. "Why drill on this site?"

"We found patches of grass in this area, containing trace minerals unseen in this country for nearly twenty million years." She shrugged, and it made sense, at least to her.

"The blue grass?" He shook his head. "Oh, Nasreen, those minerals weren't X marking the spot, saying 'dig here'... They were a _warning_. Stay away. 'Cause while you've been drilling down... somebody else has been drilling up." He tapped a few more keys, and a map appeared. There was the main drill shaft, followed by a vertical network of tunnels. "Oh, beautiful! Network of tunnels all the way down."

"No," Tony shook his head in disbelief. "No, no, we've surveyed that area."

"You only saw what you were looking for."

Nasreen pointed to where something was registering on the bottom of the screen. "What are they?"

"Heat signals," he responded. "Wait, dual readings, hot _and_ cold? Doesn't make sense." The dots slowly began to move up the screen. "And now they're moving. Fast. How many people live near by?" He looked at Nasreen and Tony.

"Just my daughter and her family," the man replied. "The rest of the staff travel in."

"Grab the equipment and follow me!" He started heading for the door.

"Why?" Nasreen asked, and he turned back around. "What're we doing?"

"That noise isn't a drill," the Doctor said gravely. "It's a transport. Three of them, 30 kilometers down, rate of speed looks about 150 kilometers an hour. Should be here in... ooh, quite soon, twelve minutes?" He picked up one of the computers. "Whatever bio-programmed the Earth is on its way up, now."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Outside, they carried the equipment through empty streets.

"How can something be coming up when there's only the Earth's crust down there?" Tony asked.

"You saw the readings!" the Doctor sighed.

Nasreen hurried to catch up with them. "Who are you, anyway?" she demanded. "How can you know all this?"

The Doctor turned to answer, but before he could there was a whirring noise echoing about them, and red lights began to streak across the sky, flying over each other before vanished. He groaned.

"No, no, no!" Already expecting the result but having to try anyway, he pulled a slingshot out of his pockets and fired it towards the sky. It hit a force field that crackled red upon impact. Frowning slightly, he then waved his sonic about and sighed as the entire force field glowed an eery red above them. "Energy signal originating from under the Earth," he sighed. "We're trapped."

Rory came jogging up from a couple streets down, quickening pace when he saw the Doctor.

"Doctor!" he called. "Something weird's going on here, the graves are eating people-"

"Not now, Rory!" He waved his hand at the sky. "Energy barricade, invisible to the naked eye. We can't get out, nobody can get in."

Rory shrugged. "Okay, what about the TARDIS?"

"The _what_?!"

"No, the energy patterns would play havoc with the circuits." He glanced back up towards the sky. "With time, maybe, but we don't have time, we have nine and a half minutes."

"...Nine and enough minutes to what?" The young man sounded almost afraid to know the answer.

"We're trapped," Nasreen explained. "And something's burrowing towards the surface."

Rory opened his mouth to comment, closed it, then looked around. "Where's Amy? And Jenny?"

"Get everyone inside the church," the Doctor ordered, picking up a computer. "Rory, I'm going to get them back."

He froze. "What d'you mean, get them back? Where've they gone?"

"They were taken!" he snapped. "Into the earth. Amy was stuck and Jenny was pulled in trying to help. I tried, Rory, I promise I did."

Seeing the Doctor's pained expression at losing his daughter as well, he nodded and they continued walking, side by side.

"Where's Mo?" a young woman asked, rushing up to Tony with a young boy, maybe seven or eight behind her. "Is he with you?" Tony didn't reply, instead shouting abuse at the door to the church that just wouldn't seem to open. "Dad!"

"Something's happened to him, hasn't it?" the boy asked quietly, but nobody seemed to hear him.

They finally made it inside the church without too much trouble, although instead of your traditional church this one was being used as mostly storage.

"So we can't get out," the mother said, "we can't contact anyway, and something, the something that took my _husband,_ is coming up through the earth."

"Yes," the Doctor agreed calmly. "If we move quickly enough, we can be ready."

"No, stop," she said as he started to go into motion again. "This has gone on far enough. What is this?"

"He's telling the truth, love," Tony assured her.

"Come on!" she protested. "This isn't the first time we've lost reception."

"Look, Ambrose," Nasreen said to her. "We saw the Doctor's friend get taken, okay? You saw the lightening in the sky, and the only person who's made any sense of the person is the Doctor."

"Him?" Ambrose repeated incredulously.

"Me," the Doctor agreed, straightening his bow tie.

Elliot paused before looking up at him.

"Can you get my dad back?"

There was silence as everybody looked at the Doctor.

"Yes," he replied with a smile, then walked over to Ambrose. "But I need you to trust me and do exactly as I say from this second onwards because we're running out of time."

"So tell us what to do," Ambrose said firmly.

He smiled. "Thank you. We have eight minutes to set up a line of defense. Bring me every phone, camera, every piece of recording or transmitting equipment you can find."

They scurried off to follow his orders, Rory digging through the boxes around them.

"Every burglar alarm," he continued, "every movement sensor, every security light! I want the whole area covered with sensors."

_Jenny?_

_Not now, Dad._

_Jenny, talk to me._

_There's someone in the room! And it's... I dunno, I think the distance is messing with our connection right now. It's not painful, it's just... uncomfortable?_

_Tell me if anything bad happens. I'm coming to get you, okay?_

_Okay, Dad._

They began hooking up cameras all around the tiny town, the Doctor using the sonic on them so they could function without being plugged in.

"Right," he said, back in the church. "We need to be ready for whatever's coming up..." He spun around to look at Elliot. "I need a map of the village, marking where the cameras are going. Can you do that?"

The boy glanced down. "I can't do the words," he mumbled. "I'm dyslexic."

"Oh, that's alright," came the kind reply. "I can't make a decent meringue, managed to blow up the toaster the last time I tried. Jenny, despite her many talents, cannot dance to save her life. Go on, Elliot. Draw like your life depends on it."

Elliot ran off to find paper and some pencils, and the Doctor checked his watch. "Six minutes forty..."

Tony began pulling up a map of the village on one of the computers, then motioned for the Doctor to come over. "Works in quadrants," he explained. "Every movement sensor and triplight we've got. If anything moves, we'll know." The Doctor grinned and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good lad!"

The next thing he did was rush outside, a bit more manic than usual. He needed to keep his mind occupied, or else he would begin to freak out about Jenny despite her word that she was okay...He shook his head stubbornly. Panicking was not going to help right now, but _nothing_ was going to stop him from getting them back, and if they hurt her...

He started looking through Ambrose's meals on wheels van, only to be interruped by Ambrose, carrying various gardening implements.

"Oi!" she called, walking up to him. "What're you doing?"

"Resources!" he announced, climbing out of the van to look at her. "Every little bit helps! Meals on wheels. What've you got here then, warmer in the front, refrigerated in the back..."

"Bit chilly for a hideout," the woman shrugged, setting her load in the front of the van. He stared at them in confusion.

"What are those?"

"Like you say, every little thing."

"No!" She frowned at his outburst. "No weapons, that's not the way I do things."

"You said we're supposed to defend ourselves-"

"Oh, Ambrose, you're _better _than this," he sighed. "I'm asking nicely. Put them away."

As he walked back into the church, Ambrose gave one last look at the weapons before walking away.

Inside the church, Elliot ran up to the Doctor excitedly and handed him the map.

"Look at that!" the Time Lord laughed, ruffling his hair. "Perfect! Dyslexia never stopped Da Vinci or Einstein, it's not stopping you!"

"I don't understand what you're going to do," he replied, smiling nonetheless at the praise.

"Two phase plan," he explained. "First, the sensors and cameras will tell us when something arrives. Second, if something does arrive, I use this to send a sonic pulse through everything, which can temporarily incapacitate most things in the universe."

Elliot grinned. "Knock 'em out. Cool."

He glanced around the inside of the church. "Lovely place to grow up, 'round here."

"Suppose," the boy shrugged, not sounding very enthusiastic. "Soon as I'm old enough, I'll be off. I want to live in a city one day."

The Doctor sighed, smiling a bittersweet smile. "I was the same, where I grew up."

"Did you get away?"

"Yeah."

"You ever miss it?"

It was almost as if he was trying not to cry. "So much."

There was a pause in which the Doctor looked away and Elliot gave him a moment before speaking again. "Is it monsters coming? Have you met monsters before?"

The Doctor looked up at his frightened tone. "Yeah."

"You scared of them?"

"No." This time the smile was encouraging. "They're scared of me."

"Will you really get my dad back?"

"No question."

He turned back to the computer, mumbling a reply as Elliot said something about his headphones. The countdown on the screen showed just over a minute left.

The Doctor ran out of the church and hurried through the town, finding Rory in the graveyard, setting up a camera. The sky was somehow darkening.

"How're you doing?" he asked.

Rory glanced up. "It's getting darker. How can it be getting dark so quickly?"

"Shutting out light from within in the barricade." The force field slowly became darker over their heads until it looked as through it was night, and a rumbling noise began. "Which means... it's here."

They hurried back to the church, where Ambrose was struggling with the door.

"I can't open it!" she groaned. "It keeps sticking! The wood's warped."

The Doctor tried his hand at it, but the door was still stuck. He gave Rory a pointed look. "Any time you want to help?"

"Can't you sonic it?"

"It doesn't do wood!" came the exasperated response.

"That _is_ rubbish!"

"Don't diss the sonic!"

The three finally shoved the door open and went inside the church, ground shaking wildly under their feet. Items were falling off the shelves, and the computers sparked as the power went out.

"No power," Tony murmured, looking around.

"It's deliberate."

"What do we do now?"

Somebody turned on a bright flashlight and aimed it towards the Doctor. "Nothing," he said helplessly. "We've got nothing! They sent an energy surge to wreck the systems."

Rory looked around. "Is everyone okay? Is anybody hurt?" The shaking finally seemed to settle down.

"I'm fine," Nasreen said.

"I'm good," Tony agreed.

"Me too," Ambrose nodded.

They jumped at a loud noise, like rumbling from underneath the ground.

"Doctor, what is that?" Rory asked, glancing around nervously.

"It's like the holes at the drill station," Tony murmured.

"Is this how they happened?"

The Time Lord got down onto his knees, bending forwards to listen to the ground. "It's coming through the final layer of Earth..."

"What is?" Nasreen demanded.

There was complete silence as he stood up, until Ambrose's eyes widened. "Where's Elliot?" She turned around a few times, as though expecting her son to be standing next to her. "Did he come in?" Everyone else turned to look around, but nobody saw him. "Was he in when the door was shut? Who counted him back in? Who saw him last?"

The Doctor looked down slightly. "I did."

"Where is he?" Ambrose asked, looking at him.

"He said he was going to get headphones..."

"And you let him go?! He was out there on his _own_?"

Tony put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, _not now_. An instant later there was a pounding on the church doors.

"Mum!" It was Elliot. "Grandpa Tony! Let me in!"

"Elliot!" They all ran to the door.

"Let me in!"

Despite the group's efforts, the door remained stuck again.

"Open the door!" Elliot shouted. "Mum! There's something out here!"

"Push, Elliot!" Ambrose called through the door. "Push!"

"Mum!"

With a final shove, they opened the door, but there was nobody on the other side. The Doctor felt his hearts sink in his chest.

"Where is he?" Ambrose whispered. "He was here. He was here! Elliot!"

She ran off towards the graveyard, Tony running after her. The Doctor and Rory looked at one another, then the Doctor sighed, leaning back against the walls and closing his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault..." Rory tried.

"Don't let," came the bitter response. "Although if I can't even keep my own daughter safe, why should I be able to protect somebody else's child?"

To his surprise, Rory actually glared. "You stop talking like that," he snapped. "You said they were fine, and you're going to get them back. Don't start acting like that now."

The Doctor managed a sad smile, but then they were both off running again at Ambrose's scream. The got to the graveyard to see the woman kneeling by her father's side, and the older man was on his knees, breathing heavily.

"What happened?" Rory asked.

"My dad's hurt," she whispered.

"Get him into the church now!" the Doctor said, pulling them both to their feet.

"Elliot's gone," she continued, not really hearing him. "They've killed him, haven't they?"

"No." The Doctor shook his head. "They've taken three people, when they could have just killed them up here. There's still hope. There is always hope."

"Then why've they taken him?" she sobbed.

"I don't know," he replied softly. "But I'll find Elliot, I promise. Go inside the church."

They walked back towards the church, leaving the Doctor and Rory standing in the dark.

Rory looked over at the Time Lord. "So what now?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor slowly walked down the street, wearing a pair of infrared sunglasses. He looked at his hand, a bright red against the dark background, and smiled. Hearing something in the bushes, he looked around both with and without the glasses, and his smile grew even wider.

"Cold blood," he whispered, then in a sing-song voice, "I know who they are..."

He moved towards the meals on wheels van, whistling a tune to himself, pulling the fire extinguisher out from the front seat and looking at the window. In the reflection, he could see a distorted... not human figure moving towards him. He spun out of the way as it attacked, causing it to stumble into the door, and he followed by spraying it with the fire extinguisher. The creature screamed, prompting Rory to jump out of the back of the van, yelling. Together, they pushed it into the refrigerated compartment and slammed the doors shut.

"We got it!" Rory laughed.

"Defending the planet with meals on wheels!" They made to high-five, but they were interrupted by the rumbling noise yet again. The Doctor frowned. "Sounds like they're leaving."

"Did we scare them off?" Rory asked hopefully.

"I don't think so," came the grim reply. "Now both sides have hostages."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Amy woke up to find herself lying inside a box about the size of a coffin, with a rippled glass lid. She pounded her fists on the lid.

"Let me out!" she shouted, panic taking hold for a moment. "Can anybody hear me? I'm still alive in here! Let me out! I know you're out there!"

"Amy!"

She breathed a sigh of relief at Jenny's voice, muffled, but still audible. "Jenny?"

"It's okay, Amy, don't panic! Don't fight it, okay?"

As she spoke, a sort of greenish blur appeared on the other side of the glass and made a shushing noise. Amy glared.

"Did you just shush me? Did you just _shush me_?" She glanced around, eyes widening as gas began to fill the coffin, but she focused on Jenny's words. _Don't fight it. Don't panic. Don't..._

Meanwhile, Jenny remained silent as her own coffin was gassed, respiratory bypass system automatically kicking in. She could always fake being unconscious...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Rory was sitting on top of a fallen gravestone, the Doctor sitting next to them.

"I've met them before," he said suddenly. "Different branch of the species, but all the same... Let's see if our friend's thawed out!"

They went around the back of the church and down through the basement door.

"Are you sure?" Rory asked, walking after him. "By yourself?"

They both looked at the creature sitting in the shadows, chained to the wall. The Doctor didn't seem very perturbed. "Very sure."

"But the sting..."

"Venom gland takes at least twenty four hours to recharge." He looked pointedly at the creature. "Am I right?" He then looked back at Rory. "I know what I'm doing. I'll be fine."

Rory nodded. "Yeah, I know... Jenny's just gonna kill me if I let you do something stupid."

The Doctor chuckled and walked down the rest of the stairs, looking at the creature. It was definitely reptilian, with large dark eyes on a silver face, green crests on the back of its head, and wearing some sort of chainmail. It hissed as the Doctor drew closer, but the Time Lord held up his hands.

"I'm the Doctor," he said gently. "I've come to talk. I'm going to remove your mask, okay?" The creature made no move as he took away the mask, revealing a humanoid face glaring at him. The Doctor smiled. "You are beautiful," he murmured. "Remnant of a bygone age on planet Earth. And by the way, lovely method of travel! Geothermal currents, projecting you up through a network of tunnels. Gorgeous!" He stood up and sat down in a folding chair that had been leaning against the wall. "Your people have a friend of mine, and my daughter. I want them both back."

The creature made no reply.

"Why did you come to the surface? What do you want?" Still nothing, and he sighed. "Oh, I do hate a monologue. Give us a bit back. How many are you?"

"I am the last of my species," the creature replied coldly, voice identifying it as female.

"Really?" he scoffed. "No. 'Last of the species', the Klempari Defense. As an interrogation defense, it's a bit old hat, I'm afraid.

"I am the last of my species," the creature repeated.

"No," he replied in an icy tone to match hers. "You're really not. Because I'm the last of _my_ species and I know how it sits in a heart. So don't insult me." They met each other's gazes. "Let's start again. Tell me your name."

"...Alaya," she finally replied. The Doctor nodded.

"How long has your tribe been sleeping under the Earth, Alaya?" She didn't reply, and he shrugged. "It's not difficult to work out. You're three hundred million years out of your comfort zone."

"We were attacked," Alaya spat.

"The drill."

"Our sensors detected a threat to our life support systems. The warrior class was activated to prevent the assault. We will wipe the vermin from the surface and reclaim our planet!"

"Do we have to say vermin?" he whined. "They're really very nice."

"Primitive apes," came the derisive reply.

"Extraordinary species," he countered. "You attack them, they'll fight back, but there's a piece to be brokered here. I can help you with that."

"This land is ours!" Alaya hissed. "We lived here long before the apes."

"Doesn't give you automatic rights to it now, I'm afraid," he shrugged. "Humans won't give up the planet."

"So we destroy them."

"You underestimate them."

"You underestimate _us_."

"One tribe of homo reptilia against six billion humans," he laughed. "You've got your work cut out for you."

Alaya stood up, chains clanking. "We did not initiate combat, but we can still win."

"Tell me where my friend is," he said calmly, not moving from his seat in the chair. "Give us back the people who were taken."

"No."

He sighed and stood up, putting the chair away. "I'm not going to let you provoke a war, Alaya. There'll be no battle here today."

"The fire of war is already lit," she called after him as he walked towards the door. He stopped just shy of it. "A massacre is due."

"Not while I'm here."

"I'll gladly die for my cause," she taunted. "What will you sacrifice for yours?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Inside the main room of the church, the Doctor, Rory and Tony were sitting around, while Ambrose and Nasreen were standing, leaning back against a table or a desk.

"You're going to _what?!_" Rory stared at the Doctor, shock evident.

"I'm going to go down below the surface," he repeated. "Find the rest of the tribe. To talk to them."

"You're going to negotiate with those aliens?" Ambrose asked incredulously.

"They're not aliens!" he protested. "They're Earth... liens! Once know as Silurians, or, some would argue, Eocenes, or _homo reptilia._ Not monsters, not evil." He stood up, and looked at the four. "Well, only as evil as you are. The previous owners of the planet, that's all." The just stared, and he sighed. "Look, from their point of view, _you're_ the invaders. Your drill was threatening their settlement. Now, the creature in the crypt, her name is Alaya. She's one of their warriors, and she's our only bargaining chip. We need her alive, because if she lives, so do Elliot and Mo and Amy and Jenny. I'm going to go and find them, I'm going to get them back. While I'm gone, you four people, in this church, in this corner of planet Earth... you have to be the best of humanity."

"What if they come back?" Tony asked. "Shouldn't we be examining this creature, dissecting it, finding it's weak points?" The Doctor glared.

"No! No dissecting. No examining! We return their hostage, they return ours, nobody gets harmed. It's simple, surely you can't mess that up. Nobody dies today, understand?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor was standing in front of the TARDIS, and Nasreen ran up behind him.

"No, sorry, what're you doing?" he asked in surprise.

"Coming with you, of course!" she said as though it should be obvious. "What is it, some kind of transport pod?" She looked up at the blue box.

"Sort of, but you're not... you're not coming."

Tony came up after them. "He's right," he said firmly. "You're not."

"I have spent all my life excavating the layers of this planet," Nasreen said firmly, looking between the two men, daring them to argue. "And now you want me to stand back while you head down into it? I don't think so!"

"We don't have time to argue!" he groaned, looking at his watch.

"I thought we were in a rush."

"It'll be dangerous."

"Oh, so's crossing the road."

"Oh..." He glared at her. "For goodness' sake, all right, then! Come on!"

He unlocked the TARDIS and went inside. Tony grabbed Nasreen by the arm. "Come home safe."

She smiled. "Of course."

Upon entering the TARDIS, she did a double-take.

"Welcome aboard the TARDIS," the Doctor said from the console. "Now, don't touch anything! Very precious."

"No way..." she breathed, slowly walking over to him. "But this... that's.. this is..." She lightly slapped his arm and laughed. "Fantastic! What does it do?"

"Everything," he grinned. "I'm hoping, if we're going down, that barricade won't interfere-"

The TARDIS pitched to one side drastically, causing them to nearly topple over. It wasn't quite as bad as some of his flights, but they were going to get turned into a smoothie if they didn't keep their grip.

"Did you touch something?!" he shouted.

"No!" she shouted back. "Isn't this what it does?!"

"I'm not doing anything!" he replied. "We've been hijacked! I can't stop it!" They looked over at the monitor, showing soil flying past as they were pulled downwards. When the TARDIS finally landed, they both toppled to the floor. Nasreen snapped the Doctor's braces.

"Oi!" he exclaimed, but she was already on her feet.

"Where are we?"

He got up and ran for the door, flinging it open. Nasreen looked as though she might pass out from sheer joy at the massive underground cavern they were in. The Doctor whistled, impressed, looking up at the dark hole they had just fallen out of.

"How far down are we?" she breathed, spinning to look at him.

"A lot more than twenty one kilometers," he replied.

"So why aren't we burning alive?"

"Don't know." He smiled. "Interesting, isn't it?"

"It's like this is every day to you!"

"Every other day," he corrected. "And normally Jenny would be here, but we're going to remedy that shortly."

He began heading down one of the tunnels, and after a slight delay, Nasreen followed him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Both Amy and Jenny were strapped down to examining boards, at a slight angle, but mostly upright. A man who Jenny could only assume was Mo was in a similar sort of predicament, looking rather worse for wear.

"Don't struggle," he whispered as Amy tried to pull away from the metal clamps holding her down. "Close your eyes and don't struggle."

"Where are we?" Amy whispered back. "What are you talking about?"

"Decontamination, they call it. They did it to me. While I was conscious."

"Okay, don't freak the poor girl out," Jenny sighed. "Did what? Who did?"

"Dissected me..."

The two woman shifted as much as they could to see a long, vertical scar running down his torso. Amy started trembling. "No..."

"He's coming," Mo whispered. "I'm sorry. I wish I could help you..."

A Silurian walked into the room, surgeons mask over his mouth and wearing an apron over a white lab coat. A syringe was in his hand, and he began walking towards Amy...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"We're looking for a small tribal settlement," the Doctor explained, walking ahead of Nasreen as she paused to look down an opening in the corridor. "Probably housing around a dozen homo reptilia, maybe less..."

"One small tribe," she said slowly stepping through the opening. The Doctor started making his way back.

"Yeah," he said.

"Maybe... a dozen?"

He walked to her side and froze. "Ah."

They stared down at a massive, sprawling city, full of tall buildings and monuments, lights and trees, stretching far across an even larger chamber than the one before.

"Maybe more than a dozen. Maybe... more like an entire civilization living beneath the Earth..."


	21. Cold Blood

_This is the story of our planet, Earth, of the day one thousand years past when we came to share it with a race known as Humanity. It is the story of the Doctor and the Commander who helped our races find common ground and the terrible losses they suffered. It is the story of our past and must never be forgotten._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Silurian doctor began to approach Amy, strapped down to the table, as she struggled in vain.

"Don't you come near me with that!" she shouted as he eyed the scalpel in alarm. The Silurian stopped, tilting his head to one side before lowering his surgical mask and speaking into a small recording device.

"From the clothing, the human female appears to be more resistant to the cold than the male," he said in accented English. Amy stopped her struggling for a moment to glare.

"I dressed for Rio!"

"Leave her alone!" Mo shouted from a separate table. "You got me!"

The Silurian pressed a button, and clamps tightened around Amy's wrists.

"Decontamination complete," he said calmly. "Commencing dissection."

He began to lower the scalpel towards Amy, and Jenny's eyes widened.

"_Wait!_" she shouted desperately, and the Silurian stopped. A tense silence filled the room, only broken by Amy's panicked breathing, although the Time Lady thought her hearts were beating so loudly in her chest that Mo could hear them on the other side of the room. Straightening up, he turned to look over at the young Time Lady. She swallowed nervously, pulling the connection to her father deep within herself so he couldn't see or hear or feel anything that was going on. "Wait... Just- just wait." She took a deep breath. "Humans are all similar in structure, male and female. Aside from miniscule differences from person to person in distinguishing features, outwards appearances, the occasional differentiation in pigment, and reproductive organs, that girl there is just the same as him. But me... I'm not human."

Amy's eyes widened in realization at the same time Mo's eyes widened in shock at her admission. "Jenny, don't-!"

"I'm not human!" she repeated forcefully. The doctor slowly began making his way towards her, leaving Amy behind him. "Easiest way to check is the hearts, I've got two of them. Two hearts, heartbeat of four, just check my pulse. There's more, if you're interested, too, aside from the cardiovascular system. Doesn't it make you wonder?"

The doctor pressed two cool fingers to Jenny's neck, jerking backwards at the double heartbeat. He pulled the device out of his pocket to speak into it.

"Dissection of the human female will be postponed for dissection of the second female, species as of yet undetermined."

"Amy, don't look," Jenny said quickly as the doctor replaced his surgical mask. "Don't look, promise me you won't. Close your eyes, try not listen, my dad will be here soon, okay? It's going to be fine-"

The scalpel pierced through her skin.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I can't find her..." the Doctor mumbled as they wandered through the pathways above molten magma and past towering buildings in the underground cavern. Nasreen looked at him curiously.

"Sorry, what?" she asked. "Find who?"

"Jenny," he replied in agitation. "We have a bond, I... I can hear her, in my mind. I can talk to her, she can talk to me, but I can't hear her right now, and that's never good. You can't block that, it doesn't work, so that I can't _hear her_..." He glared at nothing and pulled out the sonic screwdriver, waving it about. "We need to find Amy and Jenny, looking for heat signature anomalies."

"But Doctor, how can all this be here? I mean..." Nasreen nodded to the plants and ferns all around them. "These plants..."

"Must be getting closer to the center of the city," came the reply.

"You sure this is the best way to enter?" she asked as they walked through a large tunnel.

"Front door approach, generally works..."

An alarm began to blare, and a female voice came across a speaker system.

"_Hostile life forces detected, area 17."_

They stopped. The Doctor frowned. "Apart from the back door approach, that's also good." He turned around. "Sometimes better."

"_Hostile life forces, area 17."_

A door slid open in front of Nasreen and she froze.

"Doctor!"

They held their hands up as armed Silurians strode in, weapons aimed directly at them, masks covering their faces.

"We're not hostile!" the Doctor said quickly, backing away. "We're not armed! We're here in peace!"

The only response to their pleas was the Silurian weapons firing gas into their faces, and they collapsed to the floor in unconsciousness.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Amy was sobbing, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. She'd done as Jenny asked, kept her eyes closed, didn't watch, but she didn't need to see what was happening to understand. She couldn't block her ears. She could hear every cut of the scalpel, everything the Silurian doctor said into his recorder. She now knew Time Lords had a heart rate of nearly 200 beats per minute, a body temperature of 16 degrees Celsius, and a respiratory bypass system which explained her resistance to the gasses that had been used on them. Their organs were somewhat larger than normal humans, their gene code radically different, and there were some organs humans lacked in place of organs that were missing in a Time Lord body that would have been present in a human body. The young girl never cried out, never screamed, but she could hear her strained breathing, the occasional gasp or groan of pain.

A wave of confusion poured over her as a female voice came from the speakers.

"_Are 17 incursion, species diagnostic requested. Area 17 incursion, species diagnostic requested."_

There was a sigh from the doctor, a low thud as he set whatever instrument he was holding in his hand down, and then the door slid open and slid back shut.

Silence, for a moment.

Amy's eyes flew open and she looked over at Jenny. Her breath caught in her throat and tears burned at her eyes at the sight.

The younger girl's blonde hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat, and she was still strapped down to the board. Her green shirt had been cut down the middle in order to do the dissection; there was a thick red line running from just below her collarbone to her navel along with two more red lines running across, one just underneath the bust and the other directly across the stomach. Two more lines went from her wrists to her elbows, and it was a miracle that she hadn't bled out.

"Amy..." she gasped. Amy stubbornly forced back tears, and her eyes focused on Jenny's trembling hands. The Time Lady was holding the key to their respective tables. She fumbled with the small metal device before pressing the button a couple of times - all of the clamps locking them down snapped open.

Amy was at Jenny's side in an instant, while the man had found an extra coat from somewhere, probably a spare of the Silurian doctor's. They eased the Time Lady into a sitting position before dressing her in the coat; it was oversized but it worked.

"You're amazing," Amy said gently as they got her to her feet. "You got that key from him, and that means we're gonna get out of here and back to your dad, okay? Come on, Jenny, let's go. Come on..."

Jenny's eyes were clenched shut, her breathing labored, entire body trembling. Her lips moved, but Amy couldn't quite make out what she was saying. The best she could make of it was _patierfa_, so it was most likely Gallifreyan, but that only made her worry all the more.

"Come on, Jenny," she repeated. "We're gonna get out of here, come on..."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"That creature," Mo asked as they stumbled through the tunnels. "Do you think it was an alien? Are there any more of them." He paused as a sudden thought came. "...Do you think the Earth's been invaded?"

"Homo..." Amy looked over quickly at Jenny, who blinked a couple times with a look of concentration. "Homo reptilia... S-Silurian race... prehistoric Earth species, before humans were humans..."

"Homo reptilia," Amy repeated. "Thanks, Jenny, you're doing good." They stopped at a door in the hallway. "Wonder where this leads?"

Amy glanced around to make sure nobody was coming, then hesitantly placed her hand on the panel next to the door. Mo looked inside as the lights came on, and his eyes widened as he saw Eliot in a sort of stasis, wires trailing up his face.

"Oh my God, no..."

Jenny looked up weakly.

"What is it?" Amy asked.

Mo slammed against the door, trying to force it open before moving over to the panel.

"It's my son. It's Elliot. What've they done to him?"

"_Access denied. Unauthorized genetic imprint."_

"No!" he shouted in frustration. "He's in there! We have to get him out!"

Amy used her free arm, the one that wasn't supporting Jenny, to gently pull back his hands.

"We can't get in," she said gently.

"That's my boy in there!"

Both Jenny and Amy motioned towards the screens. "These screens, they're monitoring something," Amy said. "I think they're vital signs, heartbeats, pulses." Jenny nodded. "Why else would he be wired up? He's still alive."

"All right." Mo nodded shakily. "We find weapons, get that- that _creature _from the lab and force it to release Eliot, yeah?"

Amy nodded in reply, and they started off once again.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor is clamped down like Amy and Mo and Jenny had been, crying out in pain as a machine scanned him.

"...I'm decontaminating now." The Silurian doctor's conversation with the warrior became audible to the Doctor, and his eyes widened even as he cried out again.

"Decontamination!" he gasped. "No, no! No!"

"It's all right," the Silurian assured. "It won't hurt you. I'm only neutralizing all your ape bacteria."

"I'm not an ape!" he said frantically. "Look at the scans! Two hearts! Totally different! Totally not ape! Remove all human germs, you remove half the stuff keeping me alive."

The Silurian checked the scans, glancing over them, then nodded at shut down the machine.

"No, complete the process," the warrior ordered. She was ignored.

"Oh, that's much better, thanks," the Doctor breathed, slumping backwards against the thing he was strapped into. "Not got any celery, have you? No, not really the climate, tomatoes, though, you'd do a roaring trade in those. I'm the Doctor..." He glanced over, seeing Nasreen begin to awake, and grinned. "Oh, and that's Nasreen, good!"

Nasreen groaned as her eyes opened only to see the Silurian bending over her, examining her.

"Oh, a green man..." she said weakly.

"So, who are you?" the Doctor murmured, looking at the Silurian warrior.

"Restac," she said coldly, glaring. "Military commander."

He sighed and leaned back. "Oh, dead, really? There's always a military, isn't there?"

"Your weapon was attacking the oxygen pockets above our city," the doctor explained, looking at them. The Doctor grinned.

"Oxygen pockets!" he exclaimed. "Lovely! Oooh, but not so good with an impending drill... Now it makes sense!"

"Where is the rest of your invasion force?" Restac demanded.

"Invasion force?" he repeated. "Me and lovely Nasreen? No! We came for the humans you took. And..." Here he watched her carefully. "...to offer the safe return of Alaya." Restac hissed in a breath. "Oh, wait, you and she, what is it... Same genetic source? Of course you're worried, but don't be, she's safe."

Restac eyed him for a long time before speaking abruptly. "You claim to come in peace, but you hold one of us hostage."

Two soldiers came and took position by the Doctor and Nasreen.

"Wait, wait, wait, we all want the same thing here-" the Doctor started.

"I don't negotiate with apes." She turned to the Silurian doctor. "I'm going to send a clear message to those on the surface."

"...What's that?"

She looked over at the Doctor, who had asked the question. "Your execution."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

While stumbling through the city, they had come across chambers with glass covered alcoves in them, the glass being dark and opaque so that it was impossible to see through. Jenny, having regained enough of her senses to stumble along and support her own weight, breathing not quite as labored, reached out to touch a panel next to the alcoves the next time they passed one.

The three jumped backwards as the alcoves lit up, revealing masked Silurians inside.

"Turn it off!" Mo said frantically. "Quick!"

Jenny shook her head slowly. "Sleeping," she murmured. "Stasis. When they activate..." She motioned vaguely to the round platforms the warriors were standing on. "...sends them up to the surface, ready for war..."

Amy looked at her. "Can you stand on your own for a minute?"

Jenny nodded, and Amy slipped away to press a few more times on the panel. The glass around the warriors slid away, and she stepped inside. As Jenny had said, there were long, circular holes directly above the Silurians so they could travel to the surface, but she was more interesting in one thing."

"Weapons," she said, taking three from each of the warriors and closing the alcoves back up. The lighting inside them went dark. "Here, we can each take one, it'll help."

"Which way now?" Mo asked as Jenny looked blankly at the weapon.

_Silurian make, Earth weapon, long-range, firing speed of .67 terahertz per second. Firepower averaging at lethal strength, medium range, percentage of survival-_

She blinked once and pushed back the programming, leaning on Amy once more as they walked, fingers curled around the gun.

"Door at the end," Amy stated.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Nope."

They continued down the tunnel until they reached another sliding door, and they walked out onto a balcony. Jenny's hearts skipped a beat.

Beneath them were thousands, tens of thousands of Silurians, all in stasis, all armed.

All waiting.

"We don't have a chance," Mo whispered.

Amy let out a shaky breath. "We need to find the Doctor."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"These must be the only ones awake," the Doctor whispered to Nasreen as they were escorted through the city.

"So why did they go into hibernation in the first place?" she whispered back.

"Their astronomers predicted a planet heading to Earth on a crash course," he replied, not really bothering to keep his voice down. "They built a life underground and put themselves to sleep for millennia in order to avert what they thought was the apocalypse. When in reality, it was the Moon, coming into alignment with the Earth."

Restac and the Silurian doctor both stopped and turned to stare at them.

"How can you know that?" he asked.

He looked back calmly. "Long time ago, I met another tribe of homo reptilia. Similar, but not identical."

When Restac spoke, it was hesitantly, barely daring to hope against hope. "Other... members of our species have survived?"

He looked away. "The humans attacked them. I'm sorry."

"A vermin race," Restac spat, all former emotion gone.

They continued to walk.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They were moving too slowly.

That was the most important thought on Jenny's mind. She wasn't letting her father know what was happening (_he couldn't know, he'd kill them, he can't know, can't know, can't know_) but she could still hear what was happening on his end. He and Nasreen were going to die, and they were moving too slowly.

"You guys keep going," she said quietly. Amy stopped short and stared at her.

"Jenny, I'm sorry, but you can hardly even walk without me standing here, and you just want us to leave you in a room full of hostile lizards?"

She chuckled. "I've got a gun... can still punch harder than you..." She shook her head a couple times in confusion and looked back up. "Listen, Amy, they're in trouble. The Doctor and Nasreen, they're both in trouble, and you need to go and save them. You and Mo. I'm going to slow you down, but if you go ahead... I can catch up..."

The two women looked at each other for a long time. Jenny was aware that her entire body was shaking, the gun rattled in her hands. Her breathing was heavy, labored, every step was like climbing a mountain. Sure, she was a Time Lady, easier to heal, but that didn't mean it didn't _hurt_.

"Fine," Amy said, unwrapping her arm from around Jenny's waist and helping her sit down on the floor. "You stay safe, now, okay? I want to see you walking into that room like you own the place."

They shared a weak smile, and then Amy and Mo were hurrying off down the corridor, leaving Jenny behind.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"You are not authorized to do this!" Malokeh demanded as they were escorted in the courtroom.

"I am authorized to protect the safety of our species while they sleep," Restac replied with a glare. Malokeh stopped talking.

"Oh, lovely place," the Doctor commented, looking around at the large room with a sloping ceiling.

"This is our court and place of execution," Restac said. The smile dropped from his face, but it was back almost instantly as Amy burst through the doors, gun in her hands.

"Let them go!" she shouted, pointing the gun at Restac.

"Amy Pond, there's a girl to rely on," the Doctor laughed as Mo burst through the doors on the opposite side of the hall, carrying another Silurian weapon.

"You're surrounded on both sides, so don't try anything clever, buster," Amy said to Restac. "Now let them go or I shoot." Restac regarded her for a couple moments before moving closer. "I'm warning you-!"

The gun was wrenched out of her hands as Restac forced her onto the ground.

"Don't you touch her!" the Doctor shouted.

"And you," Restac sneered at Mo. Soldiers approached him, and he set the gun on the floor, holding up his hands.

"All right, Restac," the Silurian doctor started. "You've made your point-"

Restac turned around and strode up to him. "This is now a military tribunal," she said, glaring. "Go back to your laboratory, Malokeh."

One of the soldiers stepped forwards and jabbed Malokeh in the back with the end of their gun. Malokeh spared a final glance at Amy, his eyes drifting towards the Doctor, before turning. "This isn't the way..." he murmured as he left.

"Prepare them for execution," Restac ordered.

The soldiers stepped forwards and began pushing Amy and Mo towards the back of the room, along with the Doctor and Nasreen, and they were all tied to pillars.

"Okay," Amy muttered to him as her hands were tied behind her back. "Sorry. As rescues go, that didn't live up to its potential."

He tried to muster up a smile, but it gave way to frantic concern. "Where's Jenny? Amy, I can't hear her. Where is she?"

"She's alive," Amy said quickly. "I was talking to her."

He restrained from asking further questions. She was alive, she was okay, alive, that was what mattered...

"I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too," Amy smiled. "Lizard men, though!"

"Homo reptilia," he corrected. "They occupied the planet before humans. Now the want it back."

"After they've wiped out the human race," Nasreen added.

"Right," Amy said slowly. "Figured it'd be something like that."

The soldier lined up in a formation similar to a firing squad and took aim. Restac turned to someone and motioned to them. A moment later a large, holographic screen appeared in the center of the room, showing Rory, Ambrose, and Tony standing in what appeared to be the basement of the church.

"Who is the ape leader?" Restac demanded. The humans could only gape. "Who speaks for the apes?"

Rory finally stepped forwards. _"I speak for the... humans,"_ he said after a pause. _"Some of us, anyway."_

"Do you understand who we are?"

"_Sort of," _he nodded. _"A bit. ...Not really."_

"We have ape hostages."

Rory's eyes widened, and he rushed towards the screen. _"Doctor!" _he shouted. _"Amy!"_

"_Mo!"_ Ambrose shouted. _"Mo, are you okay?"_

"I'm fine, love!" Mo shouted from where he was tied to the pillar. "I've found Elliot. I'm bringing him home!"

"_Amy!"_ Rory repeated. _"I thought I'd lost you!"_

"What, 'cause I was sucked into the ground?" She smiled. "You're so clingy."

"Tony Mack!" Nasreen called.

"_Having fun down there?" _Tony called.

"Not to interrupt," the Doctor cut in, "but just a quick reminder to stay calm."

Restac, evidently having enough of their conversation, stepped forwards once again.

"Show me Alaya," she demanded. "Show me and release her, immediately, unharmed, or we kill your friends... one by one."

"_No!"_ Ambrose screamed.

"_Ambrose..."_ Rory warned.

"Steady now, everyone," the Doctor said quickly.

"_Ambrose, stop it!"_

"_Get off me, Dad! We didn't start this!"_

"Let Rory deal with this, Ambrose, eh!" the Doctor urged.

"_We're not doing what you say anymore," _she continued, heedless of their please. _"Now give me back my family!"_

There was a tense silence as Restac remained quiet, and they waited for her reply. The Doctor and Amy exchanged quick, worried glances.

"No," Restac finally responded. "Execute the girl."

Rory shoved Ambrose to one side. _"No! No, wait!"_

"Rory!" Amy cried.

"_She's not speaking for us!" _Rory continued desperately.

"There's no need for this," the Doctor added quickly as Amy was pulled to the center of the room in front of the soldiers.

"_Listen! Listen! Whatever you want, we'll do it!"_

"Aim." Restac said calmly, ignoring their pleas.

"_Amy!"_

"Don't do this!" the Doctor shouted.

"_No!"_

The screen vanished as Vastra barked out her order. "Fire!"

"_Stop!_"

All heads turned towards the double doors at the entry of the hall. A Silurian elder dressed in regal robes entered, followed by Malokeh.

"You want to start a war, while the rest of us sleep, Restac?" the elder asked, but the Doctor now only had eyes for Jenny, leaning heavily against the scientist, almost unconscious.

"The apes are attacking us!" Restac defended.

"You are our protector, not our commander, Restac," the elder sighed. "Unchain them."

"I do not recognize your authority at this time, Eldane."

"Well, then, you must shoot me." The elder, Eldane, looked calmly at Restac until she turned away, frustrated, and strode up to Malokeh in fury.

"You woke him to undermine me," she spat.

"We're not monsters," he replied, gaze drifting over towards Amy, then to Jenny at his side. "And neither are they."

"What is it about apes you love so much, hmm?"

Jenny lifted her head up enough to form a retort, but it came out as quiet Gallifreyan to the Doctor's ears and gibberish to everybody else. It was ignored.

"While you slept, they've evolved," he said. "I've seen it for myself!"

"We used to hunt apes for sport," she continued. "When we came underground, they bred and polluted this planet!"

"Shush now, Restac," Eldane finally cut in, evidently having enough of her. "Go and play soldiers. I'll let you know if I need you."

Restac glared before striding out, leaving the group by themselves.

As soon as Restac had left, the Doctor practically dove across the room, ignoring Eldane's murmur of "I apologize for her" in reference to the warrior. He skidded to a halt at her side, instantly knowing that something was wrong by the tear tracks running down her cheeks. Jenny never cried. She was pale, sweating, her face drawn up in pain. Her breathing was heavy, and her eyes were a bit dazed. She seemed to come back to herself as he drew nearer, at least, but his hearts stuttered as he realized he still couldn't hear her, which meant she was purposely hiding...

"Jenny?" he asked softly, but she winced, jerking backwards, her arms curling around her stomach protectively. His frown deepened, and he hesitantly moved forwards, almost shielding her entirely from the rest of the room with his body, fingers tugging lightly at the hem of the white coat she was wearing. Where did she even get-?

Her hands loosened their grip enough for him to pull aside the coat, revealing her green shirt in tatters and angry red lines trailing across her abdomen.

A roaring wave of fury tore through him, and he spun around to face Malokeh. The Silurian backed up a little at his glare, fear flashing across his face. "What did you do to her?!" he shouted, starting to move forwards, but Jenny reached out to grab his wrist.

"_Patierfa..._" she whispered, and he stopped. "_Aniat, aniat, patierfa..._"

He turned back, forcing down the bile that rose up in his throat at the red lines now visible on her wrists as well.

"They _dissected_ you," he muttered angrily. "Nobody does that and gets away with it, _nobody_."

In reply she let her mind open up again, he did his best not to stumble at the sudden onslaught of emotions and memories and pain, but then he found himself being sucked into new thoughts. Amy, Mo, Malokeh moving to dissect her before Jenny distracted him. How the scientist had _tried_ to numb her before starting without realizing that human drugs wouldn't work on a Time Lord, that it wasn't intentional, that this was kinder, that he needed to calm himself before the tentative peace built here shattered...

"Protected her," she whispered. "Said I would... _Patierfa... patierfa..._"

He managed a weak smile.

"Silly little girl," he muttered, pulling her into a hug. "My brave little girl..."

After a moment he pulled back, turned around, and waved his sonic around where the screen had been. It reappeared, showing Rory, Tony, and Ambrose yet again, looking significantly more distressed than they had before.

"Rory!" he called to get their attention. "Hello!"

"_Where's Amy?" _Rory gasped at the sound of his voice, leaning forwards and peering towards the screen, eyes flicking in brief concern over to Jenny.

"She's fine, look, here she is." He shuffled to one side so Amy could wave at him.

"_Oh, thank God!"_

"Just keeping you on your toes," Amy smiled.

"No time to chat," the Doctor cut in. "Listen, you need to get down here... Go to the drill storeroom, there's a large patch of Earth in the middle of the floor."

"They'll send transport discs to bring you down here," Jenny added quietly, and the Doctor wrapped his mind around hers in reassurance. "They use geothermal currents and gravity bubble technology, which, in our opinion, is pretty cool."

The Doctor grinned. "Bring Alaya! We hand her over, we can land this after all. All going to work out, promise. Got to dash! Hurry up!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Amy and Nasreen were sitting on one side of a long table with Eldane sitting opposite. The Doctor and Jenny were standing next to Mo and Malokeh. The Doctor's arm was around his daughter, and she was resting her head against his chest. The pain from the incisions had dulled from a slow burn to an irritant, similar to a painful insect bite, but she was still drained and tired. All the Doctor could do was murmur calm reassurances through their bond, soft words of encouragement.

"I'd say," he stated aloud, "you've got a fair bit to talk about."

"How so?" Eldane asked, looking over at him.

"You both want the planet," Jenny said softly. "You both have a genuine claim to it."

"Are the two of you authorized to negotiate on behalf of humanity?"

The Doctor smiled and Jenny scoffed. "Us?" he repeated. "Nah. We're just passing by. But those two, they are!"

"What?" Nasreen exclaimed at the same time Amy said, "No we're not!"

"Course you are!" he argued. "Amelia Pond and Nasreen Chaudhry, speaking for the planet!" He smiled at them. "Humanity couldn't have better ambassadors. Come on, who has more fun than us?" They moved to stand at the head of the table. Amy stared at them for a few moments longer before getting up and walking over to them.

"Is this what happens, in the future?" she asked. "The planet gets shared? Is that what we need to do?"

"What are you talking about?" Nasreen asked, hearing them.

"Sorry," Jenny managed a strained smile. "Probably worth mentioning at this stage, he's my dad, Amy and Rory travel with us in time, a bit."

Nasreen nodded weakly. "Anything else?"

"There are fixed points through time, where things must always stay the way they were," the Doctor said slowly, carefully. "This is not one of them. Whatever happens here, it's a... a temporal tipping point, if you will. Whatever happens today will change future events, create its own timeline, its own reality. The future pivots around you, here, now. So do good. For humanity, and for Earth."

"Right," Amy said faintly. "No pressure there, then..."

"We can't share the planet," Nasreen hissed as Amy made her way back to the table. "Nobody on the surface is going to go for this idea. It's too big of a leap!"

"Come on," he grinned. "Be extraordinary."

"Oh..." Nasreen tried to glare, but it turned into a smirk. "You."

She sat back at the table as well, and the two Time Lords shared a grin. "Okay!" they said in unison.

"Bringing things to order - the first meeting of representatives of the human race and homo reptilia is now in session," Jenny said triumphantly. The Doctor pouted a bit.

"I wanted to say that," he said. "I've never gotten to say that before."

"Neither have I!" she protested. "That's fun, I've said something you haven't!"

He cleared his throat and went back to the matter at hand. "Okay, sorry, tangent. Carry on! Humans and their predecessors, shooting the breeze. Never thought I'd see it." He spun around and looked at Mo. "Now, then. Let's go and get your son."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor, Mo, Jenny, and Malokeh walked down the hallways, through tunnel after tunnel. Jenny pressed closer to her father's side as they neared the scientist's lab. His lips thinned, but he didn't say anything, remaining silent as Malokeh pressed a few buttons on the panel, and the door slid open.

"If you've harmed him in any way..." Mo said warningly, but Malokeh quickly shook his head.

"Of course not!" he said, almost offended. "I only store the young."

"But why?"

"I took samples." He looked back towards Eliot. "Slowed their lifecycles to a millionth of their normal rate, so I could study how they grew, what they needed, how they lived on the surface."

"You've been down here, working... all alone?" Jenny asked softly.

He shrugged, although there was pain in his eyes. "For the last 300 years, just me." He looked over at Mo. "I never meant to harm your child."

"Malokeh, I rather like you," the Doctor said with a nod. "It's safe now. We can wake him."

The Silurian walked into the chamber, removing the wires from Elliot's face, then backed out so Mo could come inside.

"Elliot?" the man said quietly as his son's eyes fluttered open. "Eli? It's Dad."

"What...?" Elliot looked around blearily. "Dad?" He stumbled forwards and wrapped his father in a tight hug, then stepped back and looked around. "Where are we?"

"Well, I've got to be honest with you, son..." Mo glanced around at the chamber. "We're in the center of the Earth... and there are lizard men."

The boy looked towards the doorway, seeing the two Time Lords and Malokeh.

"Wow," he said with a grin.

The Doctor walked in, squeezing into the small chamber with the other two. Jenny watched with a smile.

"Elliot, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I took my eye off you."

"It's okay," Elliot replied easily with a small smile. "I forgive you."

The group stepped back out and began making their way back down the hall. "You go on, Doctor, Jenny!" Malokeh called after them. "I'll catch up!" Jenny gave an encouraging smile, and they parted ways.

Unnoticed, the four watched from the doorway while Amy, Nasreen, and Eldane debated over the planet.

"We lived on the surface of the planet," Eldane was saying in exasperation. "Long before you did... Our sole purpose has been to return to our rightful place."

"And we've got a planet that can't already sustain the people who live there," Nasreen pointed out. "And you want to add a whole other species? To drain our resources..."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_As I sat there that day across the table from the humans, the future of both species and of our beloved planet rested in our hands, but as the discussions went on, I began to despair about whether we would ever find any common ground. As ambassadors for our species, we all had too much to lose._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Eldane brought up a hologram of the Earth, and Amy stood up.

"So, erm, what about the areas that aren't habitable to us?" She pointed to a few spots. "Australian outback, Sahara Desert, Nevada plains..."

Nasreen pulled her back down to the bench. "Yes, fine, but what happens when their population grows and breeds and spreads? And what benefit does humanity get, and more importantly, how do we sell this to people on the surface?"

"If I could get a word in, maybe I could tell you." They both turned to look at the Silurian elder. "You give us space, we can bring new sources of energy, new methods of water supply, new medicines, scientific advances. We were a great civilization. You provide a place for us on the surface, we'll give you knowledge and technology beyond humanities dreams! We work together, this planet could achieve greatness."

There was a pause, and then a slow smile began to spread across their faces.

"Okay," Nasreen said slowly. "Now I'm starting to see it."

The Doctor couldn't help it, he laughed and started to applaud. Jenny smiled approvingly, pulling the white lab coat a bit tighter around her.

"Not bad for a first session," she praised. "More similarities than differences, yeah?"

A whooshing noise echoed throughout the room, and Eldane glanced up. "The transport has arrived," he stated. "Your friends are here."

They waited for a couple of minutes, and then Rory walked through the doors. The Doctor smiled and waved. Ambrose came next, and Eliot broke away from his father and tackled her in a hug.

"Mum!" he shouted.

"Rory!" Amy cried, grinning. Rory just stood there awkwardly, opening and closing his mouth as though he wasn't quite sure how to say something, and Jenny frowned.

_Something's wrong, Dad._

_Very wrong._

Tony came last, holding something in his arms, wrapped in an orange blanket. Amy's smile faded.

"Doctor?" she asked. "What's he carrying?"

"Don't do this," Jenny whispered. She looked at Rory with wide eyes. "Tell me you didn't do this!"

Tony only set his burden on the floor. The Doctor, shaking his head, squatted down and pulled back the cloth to reveal Alaya's face. After a moment he replaced the covering and stood up to glare at the older human. "What did you do?" he demanded.

"It was me," Ambrose said softly. The Doctor turned to stare at her. "I did it."

Elliot took a half-step backwards and looked upwards in confusion. "Mum...?"

She looked down at him pleadingly. "I just wanted you back."

He shook his head and backed away. The Doctor turned and walked up to Eldane.

"I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head, voice strained. "I didn't know. You have to believe me, they aren't all like this... They're _better_ than this."

"This is our planet!" Ambrose shouted.

"You're not helping," Jenny snapped.

"We had a chance here," the Doctor said to her.

"Leave us alone." Ambrose was still glaring at the Silurian. The Time Lord strode over to her and looked her in the eye.

"In the future," he said, voice dangerously quiet, "when you talk about this, you tell people there was a chance, but you were so much less than the best of humanity."

Armed soldiers came into the room, followed by Restac once more. Jenny could only shake her head. _It had been going so well..._

"My sister..." she started, but then she said the body. Her sentence trailed off and she ran over, kneeling beside it and pulling back the shroud. A low wail escaped her throat before she replaced the cloth and glared at the Doctor, hatred and anguish written across her face. "And you want us to trust these apes, Doctor, Jenny?"

"One woman," he tried to argue.

"She was scared for her child," Jenny continued. "Humans aren't normally like this, you threaten their children and they will do anything to get them back."

"_One person_ let us down." Now the Doctor had turned to Eldane, pleading. "But there's a whole race of dazzling, peaceful human beings up there. You were _building_ something here, coming on... an alliance could work..."

"It's too late for that." The Time Lords turned around again to look at Ambrose. "Our drill is set to start burrowing again in..." She glanced down at a stopwatch. "...Fifteen minutes."

Jenny could have sworn her hearts stopped for a moment.

"_What?!"_ Nasreen asked.

"What choice did I have?" Tony cried. "They had Elliot."

"Don't do this," the Doctor begged. "Don't call their bluff."

"Let us go back," Ambrose ordered. "And you promise never to come to the surface ever again. We'll walk away, leave you alone."

Restac glared, fury evident in her gaze. "Execute her!"

"No!" They all ducked for cover behind one of the columns as the soldiers opened fire. Jenny grabbed the Silurian weapon she had taken from the hallways from its resting place on the table. The Doctor gave a disapproving glance, but didn't comment.

"Execute all the apes!" Restac's shout echoed behind them as they took off for the corridors, the Time Lords remaining behind long enough to wave their sonics at the oncoming soldiers, causing the guns to explode. The Doctor looked as though he was about to say something, but Jenny fired a warning shot, grabbed him by the hand, and they took off after the others.

"Take everyone to the lab!" the Doctor shouted to Rory, dodging a blast from one of the guns behind them. "I'll cover you!" In a lower tone, so that Rory could hardly hear, he added, "and don't let Jenny out of your sight, okay?"

The Doctor took his stand as the rest of the group rounded the corner of the hallway and neared the laboratory.

"Ah-ah!" he shouted, holding up the sonic once more. "Or I'll use my very deadly weapon again." The soldiers stopped warily, Restac in the front of the group. "One warning, that's all you get. If there can be no deal, you go back into hibernation. All of you. _Now._ This ends here."

"No," Restac spat. "It only ends with our victory."

The Doctor responded with a bitter smile. "Like I said... one warning." He disabled the last of the guns and bolted.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The doors of the lab slid shut behind the Doctor as he ran into the room. Jenny breathed a sigh of relief.

_Don't do stupid things without me._

_Ah, Jen, I'll be fine._

"Elliot, you and your dad keep your eyes on that screen." He pointed to a security monitor. "Let me know if we get company. "Amy." He tossed her the stopwatch. "Keep reminding us how much time we haven't got."

She glanced down. "Okay, twelve minutes till drill impact."

"Lovely," Jenny mumbled, then glanced over at Nasreen and Tony. The woman was looked at him in concern, the Doctor was watching him out of the corner of his eye. Rory kept glancing up every so often. The older man was pale, sweaty, shaking just the slightest bit...

"Okay, Tony Mack." Jenny looked at him pointedly. "Sweaty forehead, dilated pupils, what're you hiding from us?"

In reply, the man just wearily pulled back the collar of his shirt to reveal a massive infection spreading across his chest, probably from Alaya's venom.

"Tony!" Nasreen gasped. "What happened?!"

"Alaya's sting," he said weakly. "She said there's no cure... I'm dying, aren't I?"

Jenny pulled her sonic screwdriver out of her boot and waved it over him, then looked at the readings. "No, you're not _dying_, you're..." Her father leaned over her shoulder to look at the data. "Mutating?"

"Mutating," her father agreed. "How can I stop it?" A pause.

"Decontamination program!" they exclaimed at the same time.

"Might work," Jenny added.

"Don't know," her father shrugged. "Eldane-"

"-can you run the program on Tony?"

"Doctor, shedload of those creatures coming our way!" Mo announced from the monitor, looking up fearfully. "We're surrounded in here!"

Eldane began helping Tony towards the decontamination chamber as the Doctor started talking through his thought processes.

"So, question is, how do we stop the drill, given that we can't get there is time?" he murmured.

"On top of that, how do we get out, considering we're surrounded," Jenny added, glancing towards the screen. They shared a brief look, and the Doctor sighed.

"Nasreen, how d'you feel about an energy pulse, channelled up through the tunnels to the base of the drill?" he asked.

She stared at him. "What, to blow up my life's work?"

"Yes," he shrugged. "Sorry. No nice way of putting that..."

"Right," she quietly, almost sadly. "Well, you're going to have to do it before the drill hits the city in..."

"Eleven minutes," Amy piped up.

"But the explosion is going to cave in all the surrounding tunnels," she pointed out. "We need to be on the surface by then."

"But we can't get past Restac's troops," Rory said.

Jenny's thought of _we're doomed_ left at Eldane's next words. "I can help with that..." he said calmly. "Toxic Fumigation. An emergency program meant to protect my species from infection, a warning signal to occupy cryo-chambers. After that, citywide fumigation by toxic gas. Then the city shuts down, goes dormant."

"You could wind up killing your own people!" Amy said in shock.

"Only those foolish enough to follow Restac."

"Eldane," the Doctor asked quietly. "Are you sure about this?"

The elder drew himself up to his full height and met the Doctor's gaze. "My priority is my race's survival. The Earth isn't ready for us to return yet."

"No." The Doctor shook his head in sad agreement. "But maybe it should be. So here's the deal. Everybody listening? Eldane, you activate shutdown. I'll amend the system, with some help from Jen here, set your alarm for one thousand years' time." Eldane moved to the controls. "One thousand years to sort the planet out. To be ready, to pass it on."

"Legend, prophecy, religion..." Jenny trailed off. "Doesn't matter, just make it known." She looked pointedly at Elliot. "The planet is meant to be shared.

"Yeah." Elliot smiled. "I get you."

"Nine minutes, seven seconds," Amy said urgently.

The Time Lords joined Eldane by the computers.

_Ooo, fluid controls, Jen! My favorite!_

_I personally prefer the solar circuitry, but each to their own- cancel the energy barricade first!_

_Right, yes, thank you. Important, that._

"Fumigation pre-launching," Eldance announced.

"There's not much time for us to get from here to the surface, Doctor!" Rory said anxiously.

"Get ready to run for your lives," he grinned. Rory didn't look too assured.

"What about Tony?" Jenny looked pointedly at the older man.

"Well, go," he said, looking at them. They stared. "All of you! Go."

"No, we're not leaving you here!" Ambrose went to his side.

"Granddad!" Elliot ran to Tony and hugged him.

"Eight minutes, ten seconds," Amy murmured.

"You look after your mum," Tony said quietly to Elliot so he was the only one who heard. "You musn't blame her. She only did what she thought was right."

The boy looked as though he was trying not to cry. "I'm not going to see you again, am I?"

"I'll be here." He touched Elliot's chest, right where his heart would be. "Always. I love you, boy." He hugged him tightly, then looked over at Ambrose. "You be sure he gets home safe!"

The young woman looked miserable. "This is my fault."

"No," Tony assured her. "No, I can't go up there. I'd be a freak show. The technology down here is my only hope."

Eldane pressed a button, and the fumigation process was initiated. A voice began to speak calmly from various speakers, giving the order to return to cryo-chambers, and soon enough the hallways outside were empty.

"Okay," the Doctor said the instant they were clear. "Everyone follow Nasreen, look for a blue box, be ready to run. Jenny has a key if you really need it." He unlocked the door, then turned to Eldane. "I'm so sorry."

"I thought for a moment..." the elder sighed. "Our race, and the humans..."

"Yeah," the Doctor sighed sadly. "Me too."

"Doctor!" Amy called from the doorway. "We've got less than six minutes."

"Go!" he shouted. "Go, we're right behind you!"

The others rushed from the room, but Nasreen stayed behind. The Doctor and Jenny both looked at her.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked. "Let's go."

"I'm not coming either."

They stopped.

"What?"

"We're going to hibernate with them." She placed her arm on Tony's shoulder. "My and Tony."

"Doctor, you must go!" Eldane urged.

"I can be decontaminated when we're woken." Tony looked up at Nasreen. "All the time in the world."

"But..." the Doctor started. Nasreen just shook her head.

"This is perfect, though!" She looked around. "I've got what I was digging for. I can't leave when I've only just found it."

Amy ran in to see them still standing there. "Doctor!"

"It was an honor, Nasreen," he said.

"We'll come and visit sometime. Sound good?"

They shared one last smile before running out the doors, which slid shut behind them.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_So, the Doctor sent our warriors back to their rest on the promise of future harmony with humans._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Other way, idiot!" Amy called as Rory started down the wrong hallway.

They made it to the larger cavern where the TARDIS was just as the ceiling began to shake.

"No questions, just get in!" the Doctor shouted as the human family of three stopped and stared. "And yes, I know it's big!" Jenny unlocked the doors and practically shoved them inside.

"Sickbay is up the stairs," she told them. "Left, then another left, and it's the door marked 'SICKBAY' so it's pretty hard to miss. Get yourself fixed up." She darted back to the doors and poked her head out. "Come on! Five minutes left-"

She froze, along with the other three, at the sight of the massive crack spreading across the wall of the chamber, glowing that familiar ethereal white.

"Not here," her father whispered. "Not now... It's getting wider."

"The crack on my bedroom wall," Amy whispered in fear and confusion.

The Doctor slowly walked forwards, squatting so he was eye level with the crack. "And the Byzantium," he added. "All through the universe, rips in the continuum."

"A... space-time cataclysm?" Jenny tried. "Some sort of explosion? It's massive, it's putting cracks in the universe, but _what is it?_"

Amy looked at the stopwatch. "Four minutes fifty, we need to go!"

"The Angels laughed when I didn't know," he continued bitterly. "Prisoner Zero knew, everybody knew, except for us!"

"Doctor, just leave it-"

"But where there's an explosion," he continued, heedless, pulling a red handkerchief out of his pocket. "There's shrapnel."

Jenny bit her lip nervously. "Dad, maybe you shouldn't stick your hand in there..."

"Why not?" He wrapped the fabric around his hand and shoved his arm into the crack, crying out as the light got brighter. Jenny winced as her own hand began to burn slightly, a phantom pain of what he was feeling right now. "I've got something!"

He fell to the ground a moment later, fabric smoking and sizzling with heat, but there was definitely something there."

"What is it?" Jenny murmured.

He shook his head. "I don't know."

"Doctor!"

Time seemed to slow down, however impossible that actually was. A dying Restac crawled into the tunnel, gun clutched in one hand. "You..." she rasped. "You did this..."

The next thing she knew, Restac was dead, Rory was lying on the ground, and Amy was sobbing.

"Rory, can you hear me?" the Doctor asked, waving the sonic over his eyes.

"I don't understand," he whispered, gasping in pain. Jenny felt her eyes burn with tears.

_Silurian weapon, set to full power, closer range, victim hit in chest, chances of survival at zero percent-_

"Shh, shh." Amy stroked his face, blinking back tears. "Don't talk. We're gonna get you into the TARDIS, it's okay."

"We were on the hill," he said faintly. "I can't die here..."

"Don't say that," she said tearfully, but Rory could only just meet her gaze.

"You're so beautiful..."

Jenny looked away as Amy broke down and Rory went still, glancing up towards the rocky ceiling, trying not to cry. The Doctor noticed the light from the crack slowly reaching around Rory's feet, and he stood up.

"Amy, move away from the light," he said. "If it touches you you'll be wiped from history." Amy could only stare at Rory's motionless form. "Amy, move away _now_."

"No!" she shouted. "I am not leaving him! We have to help him."

The Doctor grabbed her shoulders and turned her to look at him. "The light's already around him, we can't help him."

"I am not leaving him!" she protested.

"We have to."

"No!"

Apologizing over and over, trying not to listen to her heartbreaking pleas, the two managed to get her inside the TARDIS and lock the doors. Jenny just collapsed onto the floor, leaning back against the railing, head down, eyes squeezed tightly shut. The Doctor sent them into flight.

"That light..." Amy said, tears pouring down her face. "If his body's absorbed, I'll forget him. He'll never have existed. You _can't_ let that happen..."

The Doctor just pulled another leaving.

"What are you doing? Doctor! _No!_"

He pulled her into a hug as she beat his hands against his chest, shaking.

"No! No! Doctor, we can't just _leave him_ there!"

"Keep him in your mind," he said, looking her in the eye. "If you forget him, you lose him forever."

"On the Byzantium, I still remembered the clerics," she said weakly. "Because I'm a time traveller, you said."

He grabbed her head with his hands and turned her face to look up at him. "They weren't part of your world. This is different... your own history changing."

"You have to make it okay," she whispered. "Please, please..."

He pushed her down into the pilot's seat in the TARDIS and knelt in front of her. "Tell me about Rory," he urged. "Fantastic Rory, funny Rory, gorgeous Rory." She could only shake her head. "Amy, _listen to me_. Do _exactly_ as I say! Amy, please. Keep concentrating. You can do this."

"I can't-"

"You _can_," he stressed. "You _can_ do it. I can't help you unless you do. Come on, we can still save his memory. Come on, Pond, please. Don't let anything distract you. Remember Rory. Keep remembering. Rory is only alive in your memory. You _need_ to keep hold of him, don't let-"

The TARDIS landed, as it normally did, with a jolt, sending them all tumbling to the floor. The box holding the engagement ring fell off the console, landing next to Jenny. She stared at it blankly for a moment before wiping away the tears from her cheeks before anyone could notice and sliding the box to her father, who shoved it into a coat pocket. Amy glanced up at him.

"What were you saying?" she asked brightly.

He couldn't even formulate a reply as Mo and Elliot walked down the stairs.

"I have seen some things today, but this is beyond mad," Mo laughed.

Amy chuckled, then glanced down at the stopwatch again. "Five seconds until it all goes up!"

The group ran outside just in time to see the entire structure explode in a pillar of fire.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Elliot, Amy, and Mo were wandering through the graveyard while Jenny, Ambrose, and the Doctor stood in front of the entrance to the church.

"You could've just let those things shoot me," she said quietly. "You saved me."

"An eye for an eye," Jenny shrugged. "Not the right way." She had changed into a clean shirt, long sleeves to hide the lines running up her arms, but she was feeling better than she had before.

"Now you show your son how wrong you were," the Doctor continued. "How there's another way. You make him the best of humanity... in the way you couldn't be." He gave her a gentle smile before walking away.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The trio walked up to the TARDIS, and Amy grinned as she saw herself in the distance.

"Hey! Look! There I am again!" She waved to herself, alone of the opposite side of the valley. "Hello, me!"

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked as her smile seemed to flicker.

She paused for just a moment, but then the grin was back in place and they might have just imagined it. "I thought I saw someone else there for a second," she said in confusion. "I need a holiday. Didn't we talk about Rio?"

"You go in," he said, waving a hand. "We just need to fix this lock, it keeps jamming." He made a point of struggling with it as he unlocked the doors for her.

"You Time Lords and your locksmithery," she laughed, stepped inside the TARDIS and closing the door.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_Now, as my people awaken from their one thousand year sleep, ready to rise to the surface, my thoughts turn back to the Doctor - the losses he suffered then and the greater losses that were yet to come._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor unwrapped the piece of the TARDIS, and Jenny didn't think she could be any more shocked and confused than she already was.

That changed as they held the broken piece of the TARDIS doors in their hands.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**Writing this at some insane hour of the morning (lost track of the time) so apologies for any typos and humungous apologies for the ridiculously long wait. Here's a double chapter to make up for it. I'd try and get something up over April break, but we're going on an exchange trip to Spain and... well, you all know how my luck with laptops work. If I tried to take it overseas it would somehow wind up jumping out of the airplane window over the Atlantic... I should have another chapter up sometime in a couple weeks though, and I'll let you know when I get a new story up, set in this universe. It's a series of interludes between or during the episodes here that are alluded to but never actually shown. It'll be called **_**Meanwhile in the TARDIS**_** and there will be sporadic updates on that. Hope you all have a wonderful April vacation!**


	22. Vincent and the Time Lords

"Thanks for bringing me," Amy said as the trio walked through the museum. The Doctor had his arm around Jenny's shoulders. The young Time Lady was wearing a jacket over her typical green shirt; it was a bit windy outside on that particular day.

"You're welcome," they said in unison.

"The Musee D'orsay," Jenny sighed. "Love this place. Met a couple of the artists, didn't we?"

"You've only seen a couple," the Doctor corrected. "_I've_ met most of them."

"You're being nice to me," Amy cut in, glancing at the two suspiciously. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"We're always nice to you," came the smooth reply.

In reality, both of them were still hurting from Rory's death, and both felt guilty for it. Jenny wished she had taken the bullet (although her father knew nothing of this). The Doctor wished he had been faster on his feet so Rory hadn't needed to. They should have brought his body in, they should have...

Should-haves and what-ifs did nothing for anybody, even a Time Lord.

"Not like this." Amy refused to drop the subject. "These places you to are taking me... Arcadia, the Trojan Gardens, now this. I think it's suspicious."

"Well, it's not," he said seriously. "There's nothing to be suspicious about."

She frowned. "Okay, I was joking." Jenny glanced towards the floor. "Why aren't you?"

They chose to walk towards the man giving a tour of the Van Gogh exhibit.

"...Each of these pictures is now worth tens of millions of pounds," he was saying. "Yet in his lifetime, he was a commercial disaster. Sold only one painting, and that to the sister of a friend. We have here possibly the greatest artist of all time, but when he died, you could have sold his entire body of work and got about enough money to by a sofa and a couple of chairs." A light chuckle came from the group. "If you follow me now..."

"Who is it?"

Jenny glanced up as two boys ran past.

"It's the doctor!"

The last part caught her father's attention, and they turned towards the two children standing in front of _Portrait of Dr Gachet._

"He was the doctor who took care of Van Gogh when he started to go mad," the second boy explained.

"I knew that," muttered the first in annoyance, and they moved on.

Amy grabbed them by the arms and pulled them towards another painting, _The Church at Auvers_. Each of them (Jenny had insisted they all take a guidebook from the stand at the front of the museum) held up their pamphlet and grinned.

"Look!" the young Scottish woman laughed. "There it is, the actual one."

"You can almost see it..." Jenny murmured. "Feel his hand painting it, right in front of you-"

"Wait a moment." The Doctor cut her off and leaned in forwards to take a closer look at the painting.

"Dad?"

"What is it?"

The Doctor pointed at the canvas. "Look."

"What is it?" Amy repeated, and Jenny looked puzzled.

"Something very not good indeed."

Now they both glared at him with impatience. "_What_ thing not very good?"

"Look, there, in the window of the church!"

Jenny sighed and looked to where he was pointing, then frowned at a dark figure painted in one of the windows.

"Is it a face?" Amy asked.

"Yes," he nodded grimly. "And not a nice face at all. I know evil when I see it and I see it in that window." He turned around abruptly and made his way back towards the guide, who was still talking to the group.

"It has changed hands for something in the region of twenty..." he trailed off as the trio cut in.

"Excuse me," the Doctor said quickly. "If I can just interrupt for one second?" He held up the psychic paper, waved it around, then passed it behind his back to Jenny, who did the same. "Sorry, everyone. Routine inspection. Ministry of Art and..."

_Don't you dare say artiness._

_Well what else-?_

_History? Better than 'artiness', at any rate._

_I'm supposed to be the clever one!_

"...History," he finished. Their mental conversation took less than a second. "So, um..."

"Doctor Black," the other man supplied.

"Doctor Black, do you know when that picture of the church was painted?" Jenny asked, nodding to the painting in question. The man smiled.

"Ah, what an interesting question. Most people-"

"Sorry, bit of a rush," she cut in. "I'd love to listen, but the management's really strict with time policies. Going to have to hurry you. When was it, exactly? Close as you can manage."

"Exactly?" Black repeated. "Well, in that case, probably somewhere between the 1st and 3rd of June, 1890. Less than a year before he killed himself."

Well, that put a bit of a damper on the visit to one of the most heralded artists Jenny could think of.

"Thank you, sir," the Doctor grinned. "Very helpful indeed. Nice bowtie." He looked pointedly back at Jenny and Amy. "Bowties are cool."

"Yours is very-" Black started, causing the Doctor's grin to grow even wider, but they really were in a bit of a rush.

"Oh, thank you. Keep telling them stuff." He grabbed them by the hand and began pulling the two through the exhibit. "Thank you!" he called again over his shoulder.

"What about the other pictures?" Amy said as she was essentially dragged along. Jenny managed to free herself quickly enough and was jogging alongside.

"Art can wait," he said. "This is life and death! We need to talk to Vincent Van Gogh."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The TARDIS materialized at night on a street paved with cobblestones. They stepped out and started walking down the alleyway.

_We're going to see Vincent Van Gogh!_

_Yes, Jen._

_Don't patronize me. __Vincent Van Gogh__. Think about it!_

_I am thinking about it! And it's brilliant, it is, I just haven't seen you this excited since I took you to visit a few select novelists on your birthday._

_We're seeing-_

_Yes, we're seeing Van Gogh and of course you're going to be excited! I'm a bit worried about the face in the window, however. _

_Spoilsport._

_Ah, Jen, you know I'm excited._

_Nah, you're being a grumpyface._

_I am __not__ a grumpyface!_

Amy had to stop the two, as they wound up making eye contact and were so involved in their mental banter they veered off to one side and almost crashed into a wall. They remained standing for a minute or so before the Doctor pouted and Jenny dissolved into laughter, leaving her feeling rather lost.

"Sorry," Jenny told her, still laughing. "Sorry. Sorry. Van Gogh, right, should be in the local cafe."

"Our plan is to find him and have him lead us to the church and our nasty little friend," the Doctor added.

"Sounds easy..." Amy trailed off, waiting.

"Well, no, I suspect nothing will be easy with Mr. Van Gogh." And there was the downside to the plan. "Local cafe – orangey light, chairs and tables outside."

Amy pulled out her pamphlet from the museum and opened it to another page – _The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night. _"Like this?" she asked them.

"That's the one!" the Doctor agreed.

They kept walking until Jenny stopped and pointed.

"Or like that," she said, causing the other two to turn.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded. "Exactly like that."

They walked forwards, approaching the help that was clearing the tables outside. The owner of the small cafe was also there, an older, balding man.

"Good evening," the Doctor said politely. "Does the name Vincent Van Gogh ring a bell?"

The man's pleasant expression turned quickly sour. "Don't mention that man to me."

He turned and walked back inside. Looking a bit lost, the Doctor then went to the waitresses outside.

"Excuse me." Still speaking politely, and the two looked up. "Do you know Vincent Van Gogh?"

"Unfortunately," one of them spat.

"Unfortunately?" Amy repeated.

"He's drunk, he's mad, and he never pays his bills," another one told her.

"Good painter though, eh?" the Doctor tried.

Thinking he was making a joke, they laughed as they walked back inside, along with a few of the patrons.

_Keep in mind that most artists were never famous when they were alive._

_I know that, Jen, it just hurts to listen to it._

_...Yeah. Yeah, it kinda does._

"Come on!" Jenny glanced up towards the entry to the cafe at the sounds of shouting. "Come on! One painting for one drink, that's not a bad deal!"

The owner came back out of the cafe holding a canvas, followed by another man. The trio couldn't help but react in silent, giddy excitement as they watched Vincent Van Gogh.

"It wouldn't be a bad deal if the painting were any good," the owner glared. "I can't hang that up on my walls, it'd scare the customers half to death!" He held up the painting, a self-portrait. "It's bad enough having you in here in person, let alone looming over the customers day and night in a stupid hat. You pay money or you get out!"

The Doctor timidly took a couple of steps forward. "I'll pay, if you like."

They both turned to stare at him.

"What?" This from the cafe owner.

He shrugged. "Well, if you like- I'll pay for the drink. Or I'll pay for the painting and you can use the money to pay for the drink."

Vincent looked as though he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "Exactly who are you?"

"...New in town."

That elicited a dry laugh. "Well, in that case, you don't know three things: One, I pay for my own drinks, thank you." Everyone within earshot seemed to laugh at that, and he glared at them. "Two, no one ever buys any of my paintings or they would be laughed out of town, so if you want to stay in town, I suggest you keep your cash to yourself. And three, your friends are cute, but you should keep your big nose out of other people's business!" He looked back at the owner. "Come on, just one more drink. I'll pay tomorrow."

"No."

"Or, on the other hand, slightly more compassionately, yes."

"Or, on the other hand, to protect my business from madmen, _no_."

"Or-"

"Oh, look, just shut up the pair of you!" Amy cut in, glaring at the owner. "I would like a bottle of wine, please, which I will then share with whomever-" Now a pointed look towards Vincent. "-I choose."

The artist nodded. "That could be good."

"Good by me," the owner shrugged, starting to go back in.

"Good," Amy nodded, following after him, although she had to step quickly out of the way as the he quickly turned around, went back out and shoved the painting back into Vincent's arms.

"Self Portrait With Straw Hat," Jenny whispered excitedly to her father, trailing in after them. He laughed and they followed suit.

They all wound up sitting around a small table, Amy and the Doctor sitting across from Vincent and Jenny, all drinking wine. Well, Jenny had a glass, but she'd nearly gagged at her first sip and hadn't touched any more. The Doctor's amusement was clear, although she ignored it.

"That accent of yours," Vincent said to Amy. "You're from Holland, like me?"

"No," Amy said at the same time the Doctor answered with "yes".

"She means yes," Jenny said quickly. "So, again. Hello! I'm Jenny, that's Amy, that's the Doctor-"

"I knew it!"

She jumped at the sudden shout. "I'm sorry?"

"My brother's sending doctors, but you won't be able to help..."

"No, not that kind of doctor," the Doctor said quickly, seeing him closing off. He then grinned and pointed to a painting on the wall. "Jen! Isn't that lovely?"

"One of my favorites," Jenny and Amy said at the same time with a grin.

"One of my favorite whats?" Vincent asked them, a bit suspiciously. "You've never seen my work before."

"No, just..." Jenny looked over at Amy rather frantically.

"...one of my favorite paintings that I've ever seen," the older woman finished for her. "Generally."

"Then you can't have seen many paintings, then. I know it's terrible, but it's the best I could do." He stared at the painting for a little bit, then looked back at Amy. "Your hair is orange."

Jenny repressed a chuckle. Amy leaned forwards a bit. "Yes. So's yours."

"Yes," he agreed. "It was more orange, but now is, of course, less."

The Doctor spoke up, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "So, Vincent, painted any churches recently?" he asked. "Churchy plans? Anything like that you'd want to get into? You know, fairly soon?"

"Well, there is one church I'm thinking of painting when the weather is right..."

"That is very good news." The Doctor nodded.

A scream stopped the conversation in its tracks, and Jenny tensed at the noise. "She's been murdered!" cried a woman outside. "Help me!"

"That, on the other hand, isn't," Jenny sighed. "Come on!"

Amy and the Doctor were right on her heels. Vincent downed the rest of his wine before following.

Outside, in an alleyway, they pushed through a crowd that had gathered around a dead body, a young woman.

"She's been ripped to shreds!" a man gasped from the crowd.

"Please, let me look..." the Doctor said gently. "I'm a doctor..."

"Who is it?"

"What happened?"

The murmurs continued as Vincent and the Doctor knelt down beside the body. She was certainly dead, and while Jenny might have been a soldier, it still was hard to look at.

A woman pushed her way through the crowd, frantically, desperately.

"Away, all of you vultures!" she shrieked. "This is my daughter!" She fell to the ground opposite the two men, resting a hand on her daughter's forehead. "Giselle," she moaned. "What monster could have done this?" Then she looked up and seemed to notice the Doctor. "Get away from her!"

They stood up and started backing away.

"Okay," he said gently, hands up. "Okay."

"Get that madman out of here!"

They ran as the group picked Vincent to blame and started throwing stones. Thankfully they avoided mostly all of them, and they stopped to catch their breath in a different alley.

"Are you alright?" the Doctor gasped, looked over at Vincent.

"Yes," the artist replied, breathing heavily. "I'm used to it."

"Has anything like this ever happened before?" Jenny motioned vaguely in the direction of where they had just ran from, towards the body.

"Only a week ago," he said grimly. "It's a terrible time."

"Come on." Jenny gave her father a pointed look before turning back to Vincent. "We'd better get you back home."

"Where are you staying tonight?" he asked the three.

The Doctor beamed and clapped Vincent on the shoulder. "Oh, you're very kind!" He started off down the alley. Amy let out a nervous giggle and followed. Puzzled, Vincent turned towards Jenny, but she only shrugged. He put on his hat, and they followed after.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They stopped outside Vincent's small cottage. Jenny nodded approvingly, Amy was still rather in awe. The Doctor, however, couldn't resist a comment as he stared at the sky.

"Dark night," he murmured. "Very starry." Jenny snorted and punched his arm.

Vincent motioned towards the cottage. "It's not much," he shrugged. "I live on my own. But you should be okay for one night." He gave them all a stare. "_One_ night."

"We're going to stay with him?" Amy whispered to Jenny.

"Dad wants to until he paints the church," she whispered back.

Vincent removed his hat, tucking it under his arm and holding up a lit lamp.

"Watch out," he said, motioning to one of the canvases drying outside. "That one's wet."

The Doctor followed him in, but Jenny and Amy took a moment to appreciate _Bedroom in Arles_, paint still fresh and wet.

Inside, Vincent lit another lamp. The cottage was filled with painting after painting after painting, all in various stages of completion. Most prominently displayed was the finished _Portrait of Doctor Gochet_.

"Sorry about all the clutter," he said, looking around.

"Some clutter," the Doctor praised.

Vincent didn't seem to believe him. "I've come to accept the only person who's going to love my paintings is me."

"Wow," Jenny murmured, walking in.

Amy nodded her agreement, eyes wide. "Yeah. Wow. I mean, really... _wow_."

The Doctor wandered over to look at some other paintings.

"Yeah, I know it's a mess." Vincent seemed embarrassed. "I'll have a proper clear-out. I must, I really must."

They were all too fascinated by the artwork to even reply.

"...Coffee, anyone?"

"Not for me." The Doctor had wandered into another room, and came out just in time to see him set the coffee pot down on _Still Life: Basket with Six Oranges_. Jenny cringed.

"You know, you should be careful with these." The Doctor looked at the coffee ring. "They're... precious."

Vincent wiped away the coffee ring with his hand, smudging it. "Precious to me. Not to anyone else."

"They're precious to me!" Amy said firmly.

Vincent gave her a sad smile, crossing the room to get wood from the fireplace. "Well, you're very kind. And kindness is most welcome."

"Right, so this church then." The Doctor clapped his hands together. "Near here, is it?"

"What is it with you and the church?" Vincent scoffed, more than a bit confused.

"Oh, I- just casually interested in it, you know."

"Far from casual," the man smirked. "Seems to me, you never talk about anything else." He looked at Jenny. "He's a strange one."

"Yeah," she agreed, laughing. "A bit. But let's talk about you? What are you interested in?"

"Look around!" He waved towards the walls. "Art. It seems to me there's so much _more_ to the world than the average eye is allowed to see!" Amy wandered over from staring at _Starry Night. _"I believe, if you look hard, there are more wonders in this universe than you could have ever dreamed of!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor and Jenny wound up sitting near the fireplace, the Doctor in a chair and Jenny on the floor, listening to Vincent explain how he felt about art.

"It's color!" he exclaimed. "Color that holds the key! I can hear the colors. Listen to them. Every time I step outside, I feel nature is shouting at me! 'Come on. Come and get me. Come on. Come on!'" His voice suddenly rose to a shout as he gripped the lapels of the Doctor's jacket. "'Capture my mystery!'"

A bit worried, the Doctor detached Vincent's hands from his coat. "Maybe you've had enough coffee now," he said gently. "How about some nice, calming tea? Let's get you a cup of chamomile or something, shall we? Sound good to you, Jen, Amy?"

"Yeah," Jenny said slowly, still caught up by the explanation, but then she snapped out of her daze. "Amy. Where's Amy?"

A scream came from outside.

They nearly tripped over each other in their haste to get through the doors, stumbling outside and finding Amy on her knees in the grass.

"Amy?" the Doctor called, rushing to her side. "Amy? Amy, what happened?"

She looked up, eyes wide, pale in fright. "I was having a look at the paintings out here when something hit me from behind."

"It's okay," Jenny assured her. "It's gone, we're here now-"

She stopped as Vincent let out a cry, raising his hands in fright at the empty air and backing away.

"No!" he shouted.

"Take it easy," the Doctor stood up. "Take it easy!"

"What's happening?" Amy asked, looking at Jenny. "What's he doing?"

Vincent grabbed a large wooden pitchfork and brandished it in front of him like a spear. His grip was wrong, of course, and the angle he was holding it at wouldn't make for an easy attack, but still, with enough force he could easily-

"I don't know," she said quickly, ignoring her own thoughts, pulling Amy to her feet and dragging her out of the way as Vincent ran towards them with a shout.

"Oh, dear," the Doctor whispered and leaped out of the way.

"Run," the artist called, staring once more at nothing. "Run!"

"Not a bad idea, eh, Jen?" her father said. "Get Amy back. He's having some kind of fit, I'm going to try and calm him down." Vincent lashed out again as they retreated towards the safety of the doorway and the house. "Easy, Vincent, easy." He held out his hands in front of him. "Look, look. It's me, it's me, it's me. It's the Doctor, look. No one else is here. So, Vincent-"

Jenny saw it an instant before Vincent, the flutter of something brushing up against one of the canvases before whatever it was sent the Doctor flying to the ground.

Amy let out a shriek. "I can't see anything." She turned to Jenny. "What is it?"

"Don't know," the Time Lady repeated, pushing Amy behind her.

"Good question," the Doctor shouted over to them, grabbing a sturdy stick and joining Vincent. "Let me help you."

"You can see him, too?" he asked breathlessly.

The Doctor wandered over to a completely different section of empty yard and waved the stick around.

"Yes!" he said firmly. "Ish. Well... No. Not really."

The thing let out a roar and the Doctor was thrown backwards again, this time over a table. He landed at Vincent's feet. Jenny twitched, but didn't move.

_Protect Amy. Do it for Rory._

"You couldn't see him?" he repeated, staring down.

"...No."

He bounced to his feet again, blindly waving the stick. Vincent, on the other hand, able to see... it, whatever _it_ happened to be, and apparently hurt it. There was another roar, footsteps as it retreated from the yard and knocked over a couple more things. The Doctor was still blindly stumbling about with the stick, and Jenny rolled her eyes.

"He's gone," she said.

He stopped in embarrassment, quickly throwing the stick to the ground. "Oh. Right. Yes, of course."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So, it's invisible?" Jenny asked, back inside Vincent's cottage. "What did it look like."

"I'll show you," Vincent said with a nod, taking some leftover white paint from somewhere, a paintbrush, and a canvas with irises painted over it. Jenny cringed when he painted over it with white. The Doctor was a bit more vocal.

"Oh, no, no, no!"

Amy gasped and covered her mouth in shock.

Vincent looked at them, puzzled. "What?"

"It's just... That was quite a good..." The Doctor sighed. "On you go."

He waited a bit for the paint to dry before taking a piece of charcoal and started to draw, sketching quickly, rather roughly, rushed. The three watched him intently, and he finally straightened and turned the canvas so they could see it. The creature was apparently rather birdlike, with a beak, talons, but almost reptilian as well. Jenny had never seen anything like it, and apparently, neither had the Doctor.

"Okay," he said, taking the sketch. "Okay. Right. Amy, Jen, make Mr. Van Gogh comfortable, don't let any invisible monsters through the front door."

"But it could be outside, waiting," Amy replied as he started to leave.

"Don't worry, I'll risk it," he dismissed her concerns. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Jenny glared. "You could get torn to pieces by a monster you can't see."

He shrugged. "Oh, right, yes. That."

"Yes, _that_."

"Don't worry, Jen! I'll be back before you can say, 'where's he got to now?'"

He left, and Amy turned back to Vincent. Jenny watched the door for a few more moments, obviously expecting him when he stuck his head back around the door and grinned.

"Not that fast!" he exclaimed, and Amy jumped. "But pretty fast. See you around!"

He left again.

"Is he always like that?" Vincent asked the two of them.

Amy shrugged. "From what I've seen, yeah. Jenny's known him longer, though."

"He's always like that," she sighed, leaning back. "Always has been, always will be."

Amy looked over towards the window. "It's nearly morning."

"Here, yeah," Jenny agreed. "But you woke up five hours ago."

That seemed to confuse her quite a lot. "Don't you ever get... I dunno, jet lag, or something?"

"Don't sleep as much as you," came the simple reply. "I sleep maybe ten hours in a week, max. Normally it's more like five... I'm still not sure if Dad sleeps. I don't think he does, pretty sure he runs off excess artron energy from the console and photosynthesizes sunlight whenever we go on a trip."

That got a laugh, and they both looked over at Vincent, who had dozed off in the armchair.

"Apparently, _he _sleeps, however," Amy said after a pause. "What do you say we drag him somewhere more comfy and then make sure the Doctor's not in trouble?"

Jenny nodded. "Oh, he's probably already in trouble. Come on, then, let's go."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor ran around the corner of an alley, breathing heavily, machine still strapped around him like a harness, only to run into Amy and Jenny, who had shed her jacket at some point. Not really expecting it, both he and Amy let out a yelp. Jenny just nodded.

"Told you he was in trouble," she said with a nod.

"Never do that!" the Doctor gasped. "You scared the living daylights out of me."

Amy didn't seem to concerned. "Sorry," she said. "We got bored. As much as you admire his command of color and shape, it is rather hard to get fond of Vincent Van Gogh's snoring."

"Dad snores louder," Jenny said as they started walking.

The Doctor stared. "No, I don't!"

"Thought you said he ran off TARDIS energy and sunlight or something?"

"No, I don't!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor grinned as he wandered into Vincent's bedroom, which looked exactly the same as it did in the famous painting. His grin widened when he saw Jenny had tossed her jacket over him as an extra blanket. "Wakey, wakey!" he said, beaming. "Rise and shine! Breakfast is served in the courtyard." He pulled apart the shutters and opened the window, clapping his hands together. "Whoa! What a morning! Come on!" Vincent finally opened his eyes, rather blearily. "And Amy's got a surprise for you."

He wandered back outside, taking his daughter's jacket with him, and Vincent followed a few minutes later. Amy was sitting at a table, and there were sunflowers all around, sitting in different containers.

"I thought I'd brighten things up to thank you for saving me last night," she said, smiling. Vincent nodded, looking around at the bright colors. "I thought you might, you know, possibly want to perhaps paint them or something? Might be a thought."

They all sat around the wooden table. Vincent nodded slowly.

"Yes," he said, looking around. "They're not my favorite flower."

"_You_ don't like sunflowers?" Jenny repeated.

Vincent shook his head. "No, it's not that I don't like them. I find them complex. Always somewhere between living and dying." He picked up one of the flowers. "Half-human as they turn to the sun. A little disgusting. But, you know, they are a challenge."

The Doctor laughed. "And one I'm pretty sure you'll rise to! But, moving on, there's something I need to show you."

They went back inside the cottage after a quick breakfast, and the Doctor showed Vincent a printout of the creature that he had obtained from a machine in the TARDIS.

"That's him." Vincent sat down, stunned. "And the eyes. Without mercy."

"This is a creature called the Krafayis," the Doctor explained gently. They travel in space, they travel as a pack. Scavenging across the universe. Sometimes one of them gets left behind and because they are a brutal race, the others never come back. So, dotted all around the universe are individual, utterly merciless, utterly abandoned Krafayis. And what they do is..."

"Kill until they're killed," Jenny finished for him. "Which they usually aren't, because nothing else can see them. Well, except for you. And that's why we are in a unique position today, my dear Vincent, to end this. So, feeling like painting the church today?"

"What about the monster?" he asked them.

"Take my word for it," the Doctor said. "If you paint it, he will come."

He stood up. "Okay. I'll get my things."

He left, and the Doctor let out a weary sigh. "This is risky," he muttered.

Amy went to stand next to his side. "Riskier than normal?"

"Well, think about it," Jenny said quietly so Vincent wouldn't overhear them. "We've landed in the middle of Vincent Van Gogh's most impressive year of painting. Time... Time is fluid, it can be changed. If we're not careful, the result of this could be the brutal murder of the greatest artist who ever lived, and half the pictures on the walls of the Musee D'Orsay will vanish. Poof. Gone." She shrugged helplessly. "And it will be our fault."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They'd been waiting outside, but since Vincent seemed to be taking a little while, so the Doctor had gone to check on him. He knocked on the door to the artist's bedroom.

"Vincent?" he called, knocking again before pushing the door open. The following sight caused the ache in his hearts to grow. Vincent was curled up on his bed, sobbing. "Vincent, can I help?"

"It is so clear you cannot help," came a muffled, choked response. "And when you leave, and everyone _always_ leaves, I will once more be left with an empty heart and no hope." He rolled over to stare at the Doctor, who took a few hesitant steps closer.

"My experience is that there is, you know, always hope," he said softly.

"Then your experience is incomplete," Vincent spat. "I know how it will end, and it will not end well."

"Come on." The Doctor patted Vincent's shoulder. "Come on, let's go outside."

"Out!" The shriek caused him to jump. "You get out! What are you doing here? What are you doing here?"

"Okay," he said gently. "Okay, alright. Very well. I'll leave."

The sobbing continued again as he shut the door.

Jenny appeared just a couple seconds later, Amy in tow, and looked between him and the door.

"Is he okay?" she asked. The Doctor, somber, only nodded for them to head downstairs, which they did, and then outside onto the street.

"We're leaving," he said when they got outside. "Everyone knows he's a delicate man. Just a few months from now he'll... he'll take his own life."

"Don't say that," Amy whispered. "Please."

He didn't answer, wandering inside to take a last look at the paintings before wandering back out.

"Come on," he said to Jenny. "We have to do this on our own, go to the church at the right time and hope the monster still turns-"

Jenny slapped his arm, cutting him off. Vincent walked out of the doorway wearing his coat and hat and joined their group. "I'm ready," he said, picking up a paint brush. "Let's go."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Amy and Vincent walked arm in arm, Vincent carrying his easel and palette with his free hand. Jenny and the Doctor walked behind him, carrying the paints and canvas.

"I'm sorry you're so sad," Amy said to Vincent.

"But I'm not," he replied. "Sometimes these moods torture me for weeks, for months... but I'm good now. If Amy Pond can soldier on, then so can Vincent Van Gogh!"

Amy's brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm not soldiering on. I'm fine."

He shook his head. "Oh, Amy. I hear the song of your sadness. You've lost someone, I think."

"I'm not sad," she said stubbornly.

"Then why are you crying?" Amy's hand went to her cheek in surprise, and her fingers came away wet. "It's alright," he said gently. "I understand."

"I'm not sure I do."

_She still remembers him._

_She can't, Jen. He was erased from time._

_Then why is she crying, Dad?_

_There are echoes, she could-_

_Echoes are like reflections, you told me once. A reflection is based off an image, an echo is something bouncing back-_

_Exactly, Jenny! It's just something bouncing back, it's not __real__-_

_If Rory never existed, then how can something be bouncing back? We remember him. If something can be remembered, it can be brought back._

"Okay!" the Doctor said out loud. "So, now, we must have a plan. When the creature returns-"

Vincent spun around to face him. "Then we shall fight him again," he finished, determined.

The Doctor nodded, rather unsure. "Well, yeah, but last night, we were lucky. Amy could have been killed. So this time, for a start, we have to make sure I can see him too."

"And how are we meant to do that, suddenly?" Amy asked.

"And what about Jenny?" Vincent added.

"The answer's in this box," he replied, tapping the case he was carrying underneath the paints. "I had an excellent, if smelly, godmother."

He made to continue, but they all stopped, shifting towards the side of the road as a funeral procession passed by them. There were sunflowers resting on top of the coffin.

"It's that girl from the village," Jenny whispered.

The mother looked at them, but said nothing.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They made it to the church without any hassle. Vincent began setting up his easel and paints. The Doctor placed his hands on Vincent's shoulders. "And you'll be sure to tell me if you see any, you know, monsters."

"Yes," Vincent assured him, tone holding a bit of sarcasm. "While I may be mad, I'm not stupid."

"No," the Doctor agreed. "And to be honest, not very sure about mad, either. It seems to me that-"

"Shh! I'm working!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Vincent had outlined the church building and began to paint the sky.

"Do you remember watching Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel?" the Doctor asked Jenny, pacing. "Wow! What a whiner. I remember, I said to him, 'If you're scared of heights, you shouldn't have taken the job!'"

"Shh!" Amy shushed him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

There was a bit more detail on the church, but Vincent was still painting the sky.

"And Picasso," the Doctor groaned. "What a ghastly old goat. I kept telling him, 'Concentrate, Pablo, it's one eye, either side of the face!'"

"Shut up, Dad," Jenny said with a grin and an eye roll.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was nighttime, now. The Doctor was lying on the ground, although Amy and Jenny were watching Vincent paint in fascination.

"Is this how time normally passes?" the Doctor groaned. "Really slowly. In the right order." He rolled over and got to his feet. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an unpunctual alien attack!"

Jenny finally dragged him off to one side. "Are you okay?" she whispered. "You're worried, I can tell."

"There's something not right," he replied. "You know it, Jen, and I can't put my finger on it."

"There." The fear in Vincent's voice made them hurry back to his side. "He's at the window."

"Where?" Jenny asked, and he pointed.

"There, on the right."

"As I thought," the Doctor nodded. "Jen, keep Amy and Vincent safe, I'm going in."

"What is it with you putting me on guard duty?" she demanded, and Vincent stood up.

"I'm coming," he stated.

"No!" The Doctor rapidly shook his head. "You're Vincent Van Gogh. No."

"But you're not armed," Vincent pointed out.

"I am," he countered.

"With what?" Jenny scoffed.

"Overconfidence, this case, and a small screwdriver." He grinned. "I'm absolutely sorted. Just have to find the right crosatic setting and stun him with it. Sonic never fails. Now, Jenny, don't let them follow me under any circumstances, you understand?"

"_Yes_, Dad," Jenny sighed. He flashed them a thumbs up and ran off towards the church.

Vincent looked between the two of them. "Will you follow him?"

Amy laughed. "Of course."

He smiled. "I love you."

"I'll go in first," Jenny nodded. "Come in if it moves, okay?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Inside the church, the Doctor nodded, set down his case and set up the harness-mirror-type-thing he had from earlier. Once it was assembled, he smiled and stood back up, beginning to adjust the mirror, only jump nearly a foot in the air when it showed Jenny standing less than a foot behind him.

"What are you doing?" he hissed.

"Helping," she replied softly, pulling her sonic screwdriver out of her boot. He sighed before taking his own out of his pocket, and father and daughter began slowly moving through the dark building.

_Will you ever stay put?_

_Yes, Dad._

_Are you just saying that?_

_Yes, Dad._

He grinned.

They kept walking until they reached the window on the far right of the church, but there was no Krafayis anywhere in sight.

"Damn," came the uncharacteristic curse from the Doctor. "He's moved-"

An arm swatted the two of them to one side, sending them flying. Jenny hit the wall and the Doctor skidded halfway across the room. They both stumbled to their feet and ran towards the closest door, slamming it shut behind them and letting out shrieks when Amy appeared behind them.

"What is it with you...?" the Doctor groaned, giving up on whatever he was going to say. "Never mind. We'll talk about this later."

"In here!" Jenny dragged them towards the confessionals and ducked inside one, pulling them in after her. The Doctor shut the door quickly, which was good. They could hear the Krafayis shuffling around outside.

"Absolutely quiet," the Doctor said, barely audible.

Jenny looked at Amy. "Breathe quieter," she whispered just as softly as her father.

"Can't," she hissed in reply, then lifted the curtain. "He's gone past."

"Shh!"

The Krafayis growled, blowing in a puff of air through the grating. Amy screamed.

"I think he heard us," Jenny said, not bothering to be quiet. Wood splintered on the opposite side of the confessional as the Krafayis clawed at it, trying to get to them.

"That is impressive hearing he's got," the Doctor replied, impressed himself. Another section of the confessional was ripped out. "What's less impressive are our chances of survival."

Amy screamed again as more wood was ripped away, but then they heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, are you looking for me, sonny?"

Vincent was standing in the wide entry, brandishing his chair in front of him. Jenny grinned.

"Come on," the artist shouted. "Over here. Because I'm right here waiting for you!"

He batted at the Krafayis with the stool as it came towards him, sending it away, then motioned frantically to the trio. "Come on! Quickly! Get behind me."

They backed out into the courtyard outside the church. Jenny looked around wildly, programming going haywire. "Where is he?" she demanded.

"Where do you think he is?" Vincent replied in exasperation. "Use your head!"

The Doctor waved his sonic in the general direction of the alien. "Anything?" he asked Vincent.

"Nothing," came the somewhat frustrated reply. "In fact, he seemed to rather enjoy it."

Jenny pulled Amy to one side, towards the somewhat safer walls, while the Doctor and Vincent slowly spread apart.

"Duck!" he called to the Doctor, who followed the command as he tried to figure out the settings on the sonic. "Left!" The Doctor moved to the left, only to have the Krafayis swat him away into a wall. Jenny cringed. "Right. Sorry." They all moved to his side, pulling him to his feet. "Your right, my left."

"This is no good at all," the Doctor groaned, holding his side. "Run like crazy and regroup!"

"No!" Jenny grabbed him by the sleeve before the could dart off. "In here!"

They ran inside another church building and tried to push the massive doors closed behind them. To everyone but Vincent, it seemed stuck, but the artist saw the Krafayis's foot wedged between the doors, keeping it open. He slammed his own foot down on it, causing it to retreat, and the door slammed shut. They all leaned up against it, breathing heavily.

"Right," the Doctor said breathlessly. "Okay. Here's the plan. Amy, Jen, Rory-"

"Who?" Amy asked.

"Sorry, um, Vincent," he said quickly, looking away. "I don't really have a plan. But in future, I'm just using this screwdriver for screwing in screws." He glared at the object in question before putting it back in a pocket.

"Give me a second," Vincent said after a moment. "I'll be back."

He ran off, leaving the three of them leaning against the door.

"We could try talking to him?" Jenny asked weakly.

"_Talking_ to him?!" the other two repeated at the same time.

"Do you have any better ideas?" They remained silent. "Didn't think so! Might be interesting to know his side of the story." The Krafayis growled. "Although he might not be in a talkative mood right now..." Another growl, and the door shook as the Krafayis slammed into it. "Well, no harm trying, right? Listen!" The growling stopped. "Listen. I know you can understand us, right?" The Doctor nodded encouragingly. "Even though I know you don't really know why you know you can understand me, but you do, so... yeah. And nobody's talked to you for a really long time, but please, listen to me, 'kay? We don't belong on this planet either, me and my dad. If you trust us... we can help you. Come to some kind of understanding-"

The window on the far side of the room shattered as the Krafayis burst through it, finding a way inside. It let out a roar and began knocking things over as it moved around. Vincent picked a very good moment to run back inside, now with his easel.

"Over here, mate!" he shouted.

They ducked behind columns on the other side of the room. "What's it up to now?" the Doctor asked Vincent in a whisper.

"It's moving round the room," came the whispered answer. "Feeling it's way around."

Jenny blinked. "_What_?"

"It's like it's trapped," he continued. "It's moving round the edges of the room."

Amy peered around the edge of her column. "I can't see a thing..."

Realization hit both Time Lords at the same time, and Jenny began slowly banging her head against the stone hiding her.

"I am really stupid," the Doctor groaned.

Amy glared. "Oh, get a grip! This is not a moment for you two to re-evaluate your self-esteem!"

He shook his head. "No, I really am stupid and I'm growing old. Why does it attack, but never eats its victims? And why was it abandoned by his pack and left here to die? Why is it feeling its way helplessly around the walls of the room? It can't see, it's blind." His voice had grown progressively louder until he was talking at almost a normal tone. "That explains why it has such perfect hearing!"

Vincent grimaced. "Which unfortunately also explains why it is now turning around and heading straight towards us." He readjusted his grip on the easel before stepping out from behind the column, holding it out in front of him.

"Vincent," the Doctor warned. "Vincent, what's happening?"

"It's charging," came the tense response. "Get back. Get back!"

They couldn't see anything, but it was clear what happen when the easel became ripped out of Vincent's hands and stuck in the air, slowly growing wet with a liquid they couldn't see. The creature shrieked and bellowed in pain and anger, finally collapsing. The easel remained suspended, but it wasn't moving.

"He wasn't without mercy at all," he whispered in shock. "I didn't mean that to happen, I only meant to wound it, I never meant to-"

"It's okay." Amy squeezed his hand reassuringly.

The Doctor knelt beside the body. "He's trying to say something."

Jenny knelt by his side, tilting her head, listening to the keening noises.

"'I'm afraid,'" she finally whispered, her head dropping in defeat. "'I'm afraid.'"

The Doctor reached out and gently ran his hands over the invisible scales, offering what little comfort he could. "There, there... it's okay... You'll be fine, it's okay... Shh..."

No one said anything when the Krafayis went silent.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They wound up on a field somewhere, lying on their backs, hand in hand, staring up at the sky.

"Hold hands, Doctor, Amy, Jenny," Vincent said. "Try and see what I see. We are so lucky we are still alive to see this beautiful world." Jenny smiled softly. "Look at the sky! It's not dark, and black, and without character. The black is in fact deep blue." He pointed with the hand entwined with the Doctor's. "And over there, lighter blue." He let go of Amy's hand to make a sweeping motion. "And blowing through the blueness and the blackness, the wind swirling through the air and then, shining, burning, bursting through – the stars! Can you see how they roar there light? Everywhere we look, the complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes!"

"I've seen many things," the Doctor said quietly. "But you're right. Nothing is quite as wonderful as the things you see."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I only wish I had something of real value to give you..."

The Doctor actually giggled, looking at Vincent's painting in his hand. _Self Portrait with Straw Hat._

"We can't accept this," Jenny said. "I love it, but trust me. You need to be the one to keep this."

Vincent sighed. "Very well. You are not the first to decline the offer." He turned to Amy, holding out his arms. "Amy, the blessed, the wonderful."

They hugged, and she kissed him on the cheek. "Be good to yourself and be kind to yourself."

"I'll try my best."

It was daylight now, morning. They were inside Vincent's cottage, getting ready to leave.

"And if you tire of this Doctor of yours, return, and we will have children by the dozen!"

Amy let out an embarrassed squeak while Jenny clapped her hands over her mouth to muffle her laughter.

Vincent turned to the Doctor. "Doctor, Jenny, my friends. We have fought monsters together and we have won. On my own, I fear we may not do as well."

He hugged the Doctor first, then Jenny, and when he turned away she had to wipe the tears from her eyes.

Outside, the Doctor stopped just a few yards away from the cottage and turned to Amy.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked her.

"I am," Jenny piped up. He smirked.

"You have a telepathic bond, of course you're thinking what I'm thinking. You thought was I was thinking before I thought what I was thinking, and now I've confused myself."

Amy looked between them, bewildered. "...I was thinking that I might need some food before we leave."

He sighed. "You aren't thinking what we're thinking, then."

"Vincent!" Jenny shouted at the house. Vincent poked his head out of the window a moment later, holding a paintbrush and clad in an undershirt. "Get dressed, we've got something to show you!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They walked through the village, and the Doctor groaned when he saw the TARDIS covered in bills.

"Didn't we talk about parking?" Jenny asked him.

"How was I supposed to know!" he protested, then looked at Vincent. "Now, you know we've had quite a few chats about the possibility there might be more to life than normal people imagine? Well, brace yourself, Vinny!"

He used the TARDIS key to slice through the crack between the doors before opening them, and they all stepped inside the box. Vincent gaped at the console room, then ran back outside, trailing around the box before running back in.

"How come _I'm _the crazy one and you two have stayed sane?" he said faintly. Jenny laughed, pulling his hat off his head and tossing it to one side. "What do all these things do?"

The Doctor shut the doors and bounded up the stairs to the console. "Oh, a huge variety of things." "This one here, for instance, plays soothing music." He turned a knob and pulled Jenny into a quick twirl as music started.

"While this one," Jenny continued, spinning away and pulling a lever, "makes far too much noise!"

A distorted sound echoed around them. "And this one makes everything go tonto!" the Doctor exclaimed, throwing down another lever and causing everything to shake.

"And this one?" Vincent pointed towards a set of switches.

"Friction contrafibulator!"

"And this?"

"Ketchup and mustard," Jenny replied, tapping the bottles.

Vincent grinned and gripped the Doctor's shoulders. "Come on. Back to the cafe and you will tell me about all the wonders of the universe!"

"Good idea," the Doctor nodded. "However, there's something I want to show you first."

He sent the TARDIS into motion.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They stepped outside the TARDIS, which had landed into the front of the museum they were in before. The last of the bills were burning off the TARDIS exterior.

"Where are we?" Vincent gasped.

"Paris," Jenny grinned. "2012 AD, and _this_ is the might Musee D'Orsay, home to many of the greatest paintings in history!"

He laughed. "Oh, that's wonderful."

They started walking. Vincent made to ask about a couple of boys carrying portable electronics, but the Doctor pulled him along. "Ignore that. I've got something more important to show you."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Amy led the group along, Vincent by the hand with the Doctor and Jenny trailing along behind, grinning like idiots. They walked past some Monets and a few others, and he had to be physically dragged away from _Water Lilies_. Finally, they entered the Van Gogh exhibit and went to see Dr. Black, who was still doing tours. Vincent had frozen in the middle of the room.

"Doctor Black!" the Doctor grinned. "We met a few days ago, asked about the church at Auvers." Amy gently led Vincent closer to them.

"Ah, yes." The man smiled in recognition. "Glad to be of help. You were nice about my tie."

The Doctor's grin grew. "Yes, and today is another cracker if I may say so. But Jen and I here were just wondering, between us here, in one hundred words, where do you think Van Gogh rates in the history of art?"

Black looked a bit overwhelmed, but answered in stride. "Well, that- that's a very big question. But to me, Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all. Certainly, the most popular, great painter of all time, the most beloved. His command of color, the most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life in ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world? No one has ever done that before. Perhaps no one ever will again. To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world's greatest artist, but also one of the greatest men who ever lived."

Jenny pulled Vincent into a hug as he began to cry outwardly. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked gently. "Was this too much?"

"No," he choked out, taking a shaky breath. "No, these are tears of joy." He went to Black and kissed his cheeks, then pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, sir. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Black replied automatically, not entirely sure what else to say.

They left, and Black turned back around, wondering, if just maybe...?

But no. That would be silly.

Right?

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The TARDIS landed, and Vincent was the first to step out, eyes wide in delight.

"This changes everything!" he laughed. "I'll step out tomorrow with my easel on my back a different man. But I still can't believe that one of the haystacks was in a _museum_. How embarrassing!"

"It's been a great adventure and a great honor." The Doctor gave a heartfelt grin and shook Vincent's hand.

Vincent returned the grin with a smile of his own. "You've turned out to be the first doctor ever to actually make a difference to my life."

"I'm delighted. I won't ever forget you."

"Are you sure marriage is out of the question?" he called to Amy as they walked back towards the TARDIS. Amy turned and smiled, blushing just a bit.

"This time," she said, hugging him. "I'm not really the marrying kind." She pulled back and went to the TARDIS. "Come on, let's go back to the gallery, right now!"

Vincent could only laugh as the ship vanished.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Time can be rewritten!" Amy exclaimed, rushing ahead of them towards the museum. "I know it can. Come on!"

They climbed the steps to the exhibit.

"Oh, the long life of Vincent Van Gogh. There'll be hundreds of new paintings!"

"I'm not sure there will be," Jenny replied softly, but Amy didn't hear.

They reached the exhibit to find the same paintings, and Black talking quietly to a group of people over in the corner.

"...we have here the last work of Vincent Van Gogh, who committed suicide at only thirty seven. He is no acknowledged to be one of the foremost artists of all time. If you'll follow me, now..."

"So you were right," Amy said brokenly to the Doctor. "No new paintings. We didn't make a difference at all."

He brushed a couple of her tears away, hugging her and planting a kiss on the top of her head. "I wouldn't say that. The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things, but, vice versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant." He gently led her over to the painting of the church. "See? We did make a few little changes."

"No Krafayis," she said quietly.

"No Krafayis," he agreed.

They slowly moved over to the other side of the exhibit, and stood in front of _Still Life: Vase With Twelve Sunflowers_. The Doctor let out an impressed whistle.

Directly above Vincent's signature on the vase, it read: _For Amy_.

"If we had got married," Amy said with a shaky laugh, "our kids would have had very, _very_ red hair."

"The ultimate ginger," the Doctor said.

"The ultimate ginge." He laughed, and Amy smiled. "Brighter than sunflowers.

Jenny found herself on the far side of the exhibit, heartsbeat pounding wildly in her ears.

"Excuse me?" she called shakily to Dr. Black. The man glanced up and came over to her. "Could you tell me about this painting, please?"

He looked to where she was pointing and nodded. "Ah, yes! This was actually one of my favorite pieces, mainly because of its history. It was one of the very last paintings Van Gogh ever did. Nobody knows who he was depicting or why he painted it; supposedly, a friend came to stay at his house for a few days before leaving. Nobody knew who she was or why she was there. He never said anything about the visit, and he committed suicide just two weeks later. I would have to say, _Commander_ is probably one of the most interesting pieces that Van Gogh ever painted..."

The faceless woman dressed in black seemed to be mocking her, and she tuned out the rest of the man's explanation.

* * *

**And here we have the midnight installment of **_**Vincent and the Time Lords **_**by Web of Obsidian...**

**Coffee certainly helps as a writing motivator, but I don't recommend it. Hope you enjoyed, as always.**


	23. The Lodger

Jenny bounded out of the TARDIS doors, only to come to an abrupt halt.

"Dad!" she turned around and glared at her father through the doors. "Did you forget to pull the confribulator again?"

"No!" came the indignant response. "Maybe. Yes? Why do you ask?"

"This isn't the fifth moon of Sinda Callista..."

There was a massive blast from inside of the TARDIS and the Doctor's daughter found herself hurled forwards to the ground. Thankfully, she knew how to fall over properly without breaking anything, but then the blue box began to dematerialize behind her.

She stared in shock at the empty space, still lying on her side, but then it sort of clicked into place that he _wasn't there_.

"Dad!" she shouted, then jumped and looked around.

_Right, shouting at thin air, great for the public eye... Keep calm, don't panic, what time period is this? Um... Twenty-first century? Twenty-first century. Definitely. Okay, I know this, I know this._

_Jenny, you think – strangely – you – panic._

_Dad?_

But the mental connection had gone oddly silent as if it was being blocked, and she heard nothing.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The TARDIS finally settled down, and Amy heaved herself back to her feet, attempting to brush some of her hair out of her face.

"Doctor?" she called, looking around. The Time Lord wasn't by the console or by the doors, in fact, she couldn't see him anywhere... "Doctor-!"

He sprang up from the console floor, pulling himself up by the railing and leaping up onto the console.

"Amy," he returned her greeting. "I think we're in a bit of trouble."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny was incredibly lucky she had her sonic screwdriver in her boot and a piece of psychic paper in her back pocket. The psychic paper was her father's, but she needed to borrow it for their last trip to Barcelona and hadn't gotten around to giving it back.

"Which is very good," she mumbled to herself as she walked down the street, twirling the sonic between her fingers. "Very good, yeah. Oh, ATM! Even better."

Making sure there was nobody within eyesight, she flipped through a few settings before finally pressing the button. The light at the end flashed TARDIS-blue, and a couple moments later there were a few thousand pounds worth of cash notes sitting innocently in the little metal tray. She folded the wad in half, tucked it into her other boot, and continued walking.

She was passing by a small shop when a small notecard in the window caught her eye. Namely a red one, taped to the window above a bunch of ads, in Amy's handwriting. The advertisement underneath read as followed:

_One furnished room available immediately, shared kitchen, bathroom, with 27-year-old male, non smok__er,__£400 pcm – per calendar month – suit young professional._

"Well." She plucked Amy's note down from the window. "This has the potential to be incredibly awkward."

She wandered over towards a park bench, sat down, closed her eyes and tried to focus on the link between her and her father.

_Dad?_

Nothing. She frowned, eyes still closed, and tried again.

_**Dad! Dad, can you hear me?**_

A sharp pain spiked just behind her eyelids, but there was a weak reply.

_Jenny!_

It was like listening to a bad radio, but it was there, however faint.

_Jenny, are you okay?_

_**There's a note. From Amy, on a window, there's a note, except she hasn't written it yet.**_ Her head was pounding now; this couldn't be normal.

_Go and che- out. Jenny? J-?_

Her eyes flew open and she blinked a few times to clear her vision.

Okay. To the advertisement it is.

She took her time meandering through the town, not really knowing her way around and actually enjoying the little bit of rest, but soon enough she came to the door, and a grin spread across her face when she rang the doorbell.

There was a shuffling noise from inside, footsteps, she could just barely hear someone talking, and then the door opened.

"-I love you!"

Jenny blinked a couple times in surprise before smiling at the equally surprised man in front of her. He was a rather large fellow but not horribly overweight, had a pleasant face, and was holding a set of keys with a pink fluffy keychain. "Well, I guess that's good, 'cause I'm your new lodger." She took the keys. "Do you know, this is going to be easier than I expected!"

"But- I only just put the advert up today..." the man said faintly. "I didn't put my address."

"Eh, no worries, you won't need to put up with me for very long," she said dismissively. "I'm not really a young professional, but I don't think that's too bad." She glanced down at the ad in her hand.

"Hang on!" the man said, flustered. It suddenly occurred to her that most humans weren't like the one's that they traveled with, and maybe she should tone it down a couple notches. After all, she was a twenty-something year-old by appearance, a toddler in actual age, a soldier mentally, and this was a complete stranger. "I don't know if I want you staying, and give me back those keys, you can't have those!"

"Oh, right, do you need rent?" She bent over and pulled out half of the money in her boot, then handed it to him. "That's probably quite a lot, isn't it? Looks like a lot. Dad was never good at teaching me math unless it was overly complicated."

The man looked down at the notes, then hesitantly stepped back into the hall, letting Jenny wander into the hallway and look around. He shut the door behind her. She smiled and shook his hand.

"That's how we greet each other nowadays, isn't it?" she asked. "Hmm. Anyway, I'm Jenny, Jenny Smith. Pretty common, but everyone calls my dad the Doctor, which is strange. I don't know why. I call him the Doctor too, still don't know why."

"Craig Owens," the man replied. "They call your dad the Doctor?"

"Yep," she agreed. "So who lives upstairs?"

After all, there _was _an upstairs and it didn't look as though Craig went up there very often, judging by how fresh the carpet looked and how little wear there was on it.

"Just some bloke," Craig shrugged. "Normal looking, very quiet." There was a loud crash from upstairs. "...Usually. Sorry, who are you again?"

Jenny was in the process of wandering towards the parlor, but stopped and turned to look at Craig. "Jenny," she repeated. "Jenny Smith." He followed her into the parlor, watched her look up at a massive stain on the wall. "So... dry rot, is it?"

"Or damp." Craig sounded as if he didn't really know. "Or mildew."

_Or none of the above, _she added silently.

"I'll get someone to fix it," Craig said.

"I'd get a professional," she advised. _Like Dad. _"Like someone called the Rotmeister. Actually, no, don't get someone called the Rotmeister, that'd be ridiculous. This is the most beautiful parlor I have ever seen, you're obviously a man of impeccable taste." She leaned back onto the countertop, realizing she was at a bit of a loss as for what to do. This was her dad's line of work, she just followed. "I can stay, Craig, can't I? It won't be for long, promise." She scrambled for a convincing lie. "My mum kicked me out, my dad's trying to talk some sense back into her, but I need a place to stay in the meantime..."

"You haven't even seen the room," Craig pointed out. "You know, where you'd actually be staying?"

"Oh!" She grinned and nodded brightly. "Yes, right, of course!"

They went through the hallway and stopped in front of a small room, simple bed, window, nightstand, beige. She didn't like beige... Well, she wouldn't be here for long.

"Yeah, this is Mark's old room," Craig explained. "He owns the place, moved out about a month ago. An uncle he'd never heard of died and left a load of money."

_Wonder who that could be, Dad?_

She sighed when there was nothing, then noticed Craig looking at her. "Right. This'll do just fine. I'll take it, if you don't mind." Her eyes widened. "Oh, you'll want my credentials!" She tugged the psychic paper out of her back pocket and held it up, then switched hands behind her back and held it up again. "Right... this... this... references..."

"Is that a reference from the Archbishop of Canterbury?!" Craig made a grab for the paper, but she tucked it back inside her pocket before he could take a closer look.

"He and my dad are good friends," she said. Time for a topic change, how did one interact with humans? Food, Craig seemed like he liked food... Oh, that was rude. Sorry, Craig. "Are you hungry? I'm hungry."

"I haven't got anything in-" She continued to look at him pointedly, and he shrugged. "Yeah, a bit hungry."

They went to the kitchen, where Jenny promptly started raiding the fridge and cabinets.

"Dad can't cook to save his life," she chattered aimlessly. "He blew up five toasters in six months, and once he tried to make a cake..." She smirked at the memory. "That was funny. Oh, and you've got everything I need for an omelet!" She turned on the stove. "Who's the girl on the fridge?"

"My friend," Craig said after a moment. "Sophie."

"Girlfriend?" she asked, eying him knowingly, grinning when he blushed.

"A friend who is a girl," he countered. "There's nothing going on!"

She didn't stop grinning. "Okay."

"We met about a year ago at the call center..." _Oh, he's totally in love. No, wait, communications center! That could be useful. _"Firm's going down, though. The bosses are using a totally rubbish business model. I know what they should do, though! I've got a plan all worked out, but I'm just a phone drone, I can't go running in saying I know best-" He stopped abruptly while Jenny continued to cook. "Why am I telling _you _this? I don't even know you."

"I've got one of those faces," she said lightly. "It's a hereditary thing. People never stop blurting out their plans when I'm around."

"Right..." Craig nodded slowly. "So, um, where's your stuff?"

"Don't worry," she said dismissively. "It'll materialize if all goes to plan."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor let out a few select Gallifreyan expletives as the TARDIS bucked from side to side, throwing Amy and him around as it attempted to materialize.

"No!" he shouted. "Why won't you land?!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They finished their eggs sitting on the couch, and Craig looked at her in shock.

"That was absolutely brilliant!" he exclaimed. "Where did you learn to cook?"

"Paris, in the 18th century." She froze. _We're in the twenty-first century, and I didn't even learn to cook in the 18__th__ it was the- _"No, hang on, that's not right. 17Th? No, no! No, sorry, 20th. Not used to doing them in the right order." _No, you don't say that to a human! You're trying to be normal!_

Craig just smiled slightly. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a bit weird?"

"They never really stop," she laughed. "Ever been to Paris, Craig?"

"Nah, I can't see the point of Paris. I'm not much of a traveler."

"Well, not for everyone, I guess."

"Yeah... No, I like it here, though." He started to finger the keychain,, almost without realizing it. _Hopelessly in love_. "I'd miss it, I'd miss..."

"Those keys?" she supplied, and he quickly stopped.

"What?"

"Those keys, you seem very fond of them." She pointed to the keychain.

"I'm holding them." He set them pointedly down on the arm of the sofa.

"Right..."

"Anyway!" Craig set the plate down on the arm of the sofa as well, walked across the room and picked a set of keys off the hook by the door. "These are your keys."

She bounced to her feet. "I can stay?"

"You're weird, you can cook, that's good enough for me. And you just got kicked out of your house, what kind of person would I be if I didn't let you stay here for a bit?" He smiled, the pointed to the separate keys on the chain. "Right, outdoor, front door, your door. Got it?"

She grinned and took the keys. "Ha-ha! Me with a key." She started off towards the room, but stopped and looked at Craig. "Hey, Craig. Do me a favor, would you? Don't touch that rot."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The rest of the day passed relatively quickly, and Jenny flopped down on the bed, messing with the sonic screwdriver while mentally berating herself for not thinking of this before. She didn't particularly feel like giving herself a massive headache again, and _this _was far simpler.

"Earth to TARDIS!" she called into the light of the sonic. "Earth to TARDIS! Come in, TARDIS."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor practically made a mad dive for the microphone when he heard Jenny's voice crackling through it, the blank spot in his mind where their link normally was slightly filled at the sound of her alive and well.

"Jenny!" he shouted, then cringed backwards when he heard her wince. "Sorry, too loud. My bad."

"_Don't wreck the microphone on the sonic, Dad!" _she laughed. _"Amy, you there too?"_

"I'm here!" Amy called, rushing to the Doctor's side. "You okay, Jenny?"

"_Yeah, totally fine." _If she sounded strained, the Doctor didn't pick up on it, or at least chose not to comment. _"Found a note you'd written in the future above an advertisement, went to the address, am currently staying in a flat. May or may not have sonicked some money out of an ATM, but we don't need to dwell on that, right?"_

"Wait, you're staying in a flat?" the Doctor exclaimed in surprise.

"_Well, what did you expect me to do? It's a note from Amy in the future, that means that it's important. Maybe whatever's here is stopping the TARDIS from landing." _A pause. _"How's that going, anyway?"_

"Just listen for yourself," Amy sighed, and the Doctor held the microphone nearer to the console.

"It's stuck in a materialization loop, trying to land again, but she can't," the Doctor explained, gently running his hand over the console.

"_So that means that whatever's stopping her is upstairs in the flat, am I right?"_

"Yes, but-"

Jenny interrupted her father before he could say anymore. _"So I could just go upstairs and sort it out, right?"_

"No!" Amy jumped at his shout, and he took a deep breath. "Okay. Sorry, Amy. Sorry, Jenny. I didn't mean to yell, but whatever can stop the TARDIS from landing is big. _I'd_ be scared to face something that big." There was silence from the end of the line, and the Doctor looked over at Amy. "Pond, d'you mind going to the library, I think there's a tool box in there that I might need."

"Why would there be a tool box in the library?" she asked in confusion.

He gave her a pointed look, nodding towards the mic, but when he spoke his voice was entirely normal and didn't match his expression. "I leave things in odd places, and the reclining chair wasn't working right, so I needed to fix it. Wound up burning it down, but..."

"Okay."

Amy left, and the Doctor sat down on the floor, still holding the microphone. "It's going to be okay, Jen."

"_...I'm scared, Dad." _Her voice was quiet, now, and he could picture her far too clearly, sitting cross-legged on a bed in a strange house, armed with just a sonic, little more than a year old, no TARDIS, nobody to back her up...

"It's okay," he repeated firmly. "Listen to me, Jen. The TARDIS may not be able to land, and that's part of the reason why we can't hear each other. But we can still talk, and I know you. You're smart, and you're going to be fine."

"_But if the TARDIS can't land and I can't hear you, then whatever's upstairs is __massive__. I can't face that by myself!"_

"Yes, you can! I _know_ you can, Jen! Come on, what happened to the girl who sat on top of a Dalek in the middle of the Crucible and laughing like a kid on a carousel? Hm?" The got a weak chuckle out of her, and he smiled in satisfaction. "Or that girl who dragged a hostess out of Xtonic sunlight when she didn't even know her name? That's _you, _Jen, and I know you can do this."

"_Thanks, Dad." _He nodded, even though he couldn't see her, pretended not to hear how choked up she sounded and that he wasn't talking around the lump in his throat.

"I'm always here, Jen, promise. Now, you've got this on scramble, right?"

"_And stealth mode. 'Cause whatever is hiding upstairs can't know what I am, so no advanced technology or anything similar nearby. Can't go up until I know how to deal with it. So, low-key, no sonicking, and to anybody listening in, we're talking absolute gibberish and it's probably hilarious."_

As a matter of fact, down on Earth, outside the door to Jenny's room, Craig was listening to her cheerfully spout about practical eruption in chicken and Descartes Lombardy spiral.

"Good! See, that's great. Now, all you've got to do is pass off as an ordinary human being, which for you, should be really quite simple. You've always had more tact than I have."

"_That's not very hard."_

"Oi!" They both laughed, and Amy wandered back into the console room and sat down on the floor beside him.

"Couldn't find the tool box, but dunno how much it would help to begin with," she told them. "What are we talking about?"

"_I've got to pass as a normal person. What do normal people do?"_

Amy looked as though she wished she were still looking for the tool box. "Normal girls? Go out with friends, shop, take a walk... It's not that hard, Jenny, I think you'll do fine."

There was a muffled crash on Jenny's end of the line, and they both pitched forwards as the TARDIS began to do loop-de-loops once more. The microphone tumbled out of the Doctor's hand, they barely managed to avoid faceplanting into the railings in front of them.

"_Localized time loop!" _Jenny shouted in shock. _"Hey, you guys okay?"_

"No!" Amy shouted back, having about as much luck keeping her balance as a drunk person did on a tightrope.

The TARDIS lurched once more and then went still, and the two sank back to the floor in relief.

"You still there, Jen?" the Doctor called to her.

"_This end's good," _came the reply. _"Dad, keep the zigzag plotter on full, I think that'll help!"_

The Doctor looked up towards the console and his mind went uncharacteristically blank.

"Which one's the zigzag plotter again?" he asked.

Jenny groaned. _"Stand with the door behind you, take two steps to your left, it's the one that looks like a zigzag plotter."_

"Thanks, Jen, that was incredibly helpful."

"_Not a problem, Father dearest," _she laughed in response. _"Now, I'll call you back later, I've got to pick up a few items, 'kay?"_

The line went dead, and Amy looked over at the Doctor.

"She's going to be okay," she said, seeing his worried frown. He didn't answer.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny wandered back towards the house, pushing a shopping cart full of odds and ends, not entirely sure how she was going to get it into the house. Then again, Craig was snoring a ridiculous amount when she snuck out, so he probably wasn't going to wake up. Couldn't be too careful, though...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The following morning, Jenny was doing her best to untangle her hair and make sure she didn't look like too much of a wreck. Not that she really needed sleep, but this was getting to be more than a bit stressful and she had been up all night building herself a lovely little contraption out of non-technological items and she really _did _need sleep right now.

She glanced up blearily at a knock on her door. "Hey, you going to use the shower?"

_...Shower? Oh! Shower. Right. No. Wait, must talk, Craig can't hear me think_. "No, s'all yours..."

She continued to run her fingers through her hair (she had a hairbrush in her jacket since the pockets were bigger on the inside, but her jacket was currently on their malfunctioning TARDIS), not entirely conscious, then glanced up when she heard Craig mumble something from outside.

"What was that?" she called, yawning.

There was a response that she couldn't make out through the door and through her sleep-fogged mind. She kept seeing schematics of her sensor over on the bed whenever she closed her eyes.

"Craig? What did you just say?"

She rubbed at her eyes, slapping her cheeks a few times to keep herself awake, then yanked her hair back into its typical ponytail before stumbling out the door, holding what she had originally thought was her sonic in her hand, only belatedly realizing it was a pencil by the time she got to the stairs.

"You alright?" she asked Craig, who was standing at the top of the stairs, perfectly fine.

"Jenny, you look like a wreck!" he exclaimed.

She shrugged. "If you've got coffee, I'd love that. Couldn't sleep last night... You spoke to the man upstairs?"

"Yeah." Craig walked back down so he was standing next to her. Well, he was standing, she was more leaning on the railing in order to keep from falling over.

"What'd he look like?"

"More normal than you do at the moment, mate," came the dry response. "Were you up all night?"

"No!" she denied, turning around and swaying unsteadily on her feet. "Maybe. Yes? Do you have any coffee?"

"In the kitchen." He waved in the general direction, then went to go and answer the phone. Jenny heard his reply but didn't really comprehend, settling for leaning against the wall and trying to drag her scrambled thoughts together. Still, she was out of it enough that she didn't hear Sophie coming in until the other woman spoke.

"Hello?"

Jenny blinked a few times, looked over at Sophie, and grinned. "Ah! Hello! M'name's Jenny, and you must be Sophie, yeah?" She eagerly shook the woman's hand. "Craig's said a lot about you, all nice, no need to worry."

"Yeah, he said you were staying." The other woman looked a bit confused, but took Jenny's appearance and current state of consciousness in stride. "Your mum kicked you out, then? Poor dear, hope you can work things out."

It took her a moment to remember that was the excuse she had given Craig. "Yeah, I talked to Dad last night, he said that he'll try and talk to Mum... You fancy some coffee? I could really use some coffee right now."

They wandered into the parlor, first, just to see what was going on with Craig. He was currently talking on the phone, looking a bit frustrated. "No, Dom's in Malta," he was saying. "There's nobody around!" The conversation continued in a rather irritated manner before he finally hung up. "Sorry. There's a match today, pub league, and we're one down. We can still play, but it'll be harder."

"Sorry to hear that," Jenny said sincerely, although the accompanying yawn ruined the effect. _Pub league... that's football, right? Mickey mentioned something like that. I think it's football. Yeah._

"Hey, Soph," Craig said with a smile. Jenny started making herself a cup of the strongest coffee she could come up with.

"Hey." She returned the smile. "I thought I'd come early and meet your new flatmate."

"Do you mind?" He lowered his voice so Jenny wouldn't hear. "I mean, she's a girl, but she won't be staying for too long, I think."

"Why would I mind?" Sophie responded quickly, blushing.

"No reason! No, no reason at all. Totally random question. Just curious."

Unbeknownst to them, Jenny could hear every word they were saying perfectly clear, and decided to leave them on their own while she waited for the coffee machine. About halfway down the hall, she quickly turned back around and ran back to the room, poking her head around the doorframe. They were still standing in awkward silence.

"You unlocked the door," she stated. They both looked at her in confusion. "How did you do that? Those are your keys-" She pointed to the pink keychain. "-you must have left them the last time you came here."

"Yeah, but I..." Sophie trailed off, stammering. "How do you know those are my keys?"

"I've been holding them!" Craig muttered in embarrassment.

"I've got another set," Sophie explained.

"You've got to sets of key's to someone else's house?" she repeated.

"Yeah..."

"I see!" She gave them a knowing grin. "You must like it here too."

In the bedroom, she continued to work out the knots in her hair while talking into the sonic to her father and Amy.

"I'm going out," she told them. "So the guy upstairs doesn't get too suspicious."

"_Cheering on a friend at a football match, that's normal,"_ Amy praised. _"Well done!"_

"Erm... I was kind of up all night building a fancy scanner thing out of broomsticks and a traffic cone, so don't laugh. Is football the one with the sticks?"

That got a snort from Amy.

"_Why are you laughing?" _the Doctor asked.

"_Football is the one where you kick the black and white ball around the field and try to score in the other person's goal," _Amy chuckled. _"Hockey is the one with the sticks. Big difference, there, Jenny."_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So your dad is really just called the Doctor?" Craig asked as they walked towards the football field. "What's he actually called, though? What's his proper name?"

Jenny, who was feeling much more awake after her coffee, shrugged. "Just the Doctor."

"Just the Doctor?" Sophie repeated.

"Just the Doctor," Jenny confirmed. "Hey, at least he's not the one Mum kicked out, then you'd have lots of fun. He's rather... eccentric."

Craig actually looked a bit scared. "I'd need to tell all these guys that my flatmate is called the Doctor. That'd be... weird."

"Point proven," Jenny snickered.

They were greeted by one of Craig's teammates.

"Alright, Craig, Soph!" he said with a grin, then turned to Jenny. "And hello, there, love."

"Hello!" she said brightly, shaking his hand. "I'm Jenny, nice to meet you."

"Sean, it's a pleasure. Come on, then, game's about to start. Craig, you've been practicing, right?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The game started off okay, but then it just went downhill. The other team was crushing them, and it was _not _a pretty sight. Jenny was briefly torn between morals and satisfaction, but finally sighed.

_Just once, and this isn't going to change the course of history._

She pulled the sonic out of her boot when nobody was looking, managed to hold it _just so_ in her palm that nobody could see it, and discreetly aimed it towards the field.

Craig made to kick the ball towards the goal until another player practically shoved him out of the way, so his foot only grazed the ball. Normally it would have rolled forwards about a foot – in this case it flew straight past the goalie's head and into the net.

The crowd went wild.

Sophie was cheering the loudest out of all of them, loud enough to cause Craig to try even harder (and more importantly, to drown out the sound of Jenny's sonic).

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They won the game by a longshot, and everyone was crowding around Craig while they lounged about on a park bench with some beers.

"That was brilliant!" Sean declared loudly. "Next week we've got the Crown and Anchor, we're going to _annihilate_ them! You keep that up!"

"If Dad were here he'd think Sean was talking about actual violence and go nuts, then realize about halfway through his tirade they were just talking about football," Jenny said to Sophie with a grin. "Oh, that'd be priceless!"

Sophie laughed, then laughed even harder when Craig tried to open up a can and it exploded everywhere.

Then it kept happening.

Jenny mumbled a curse under her breath before pulling the sonic back out of her boot and moving off to the side, flipping through the settings.

"Dad?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Back in the TARDIS, they were being tossed around like they were inside a blender yet again.

"_Dad?"_

"Not now, Jen!" the Doctor shouted. "It's worse this time!"

"_Well, what does the scanner say?"_

"Nines!" Amy shouted, being the closest to the scanner. "Please tell me that's good that they're all nines!"

"_Sure! Absolutely great! Dad, did you pull the zigzag plotter yet?"_

One of them managed to pull the lever in question without losing their balance. The TARDIS lurched again, and the shaking got a bit worse, but then it stopped and they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"_You guys still there? Hello? Dad, Amy?"_

"Yes, hello," Amy said breathlessly.

"Can't get rid of us," the Doctor agreed. "Unless, of course, the TARDIS gets flung off into the Vortex with us inside it and we're lost forever-"

"_Dad!"_ Jenny's panicked shout caused him to quickly change the end of his sentence.

"-which most certainly _isn't_ going to happen because I can fly the TARDIS and land us somewhere safe, even if it isn't Earth. Amy, how are the numbers?"

Amy looked at the scanner again. "Fives. All fives."

"_Fives?"_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny looked back to see that the time loop had ended, and the group was laughing hysterically.

"Great," she said with a nod. "Fives are great. Still means that this is almost unbelievably powerful and dangerous, but that's okay, no worries. You two hang on."

"_Jen, stay safe!"_

"I will, Dad. Promise."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Craig knocked on the door to Jenny's room some time that afternoon. It opened a moment later to show the young girl wearing an orange traffic cone on top of her head.

"Hello, flatmate," she greeted cheerfully.

"Hey..." He pointedly ignored her choice in headgear. "Listen, Sophie's coming 'round tonight and I was wondering if... really awkward request time... um..." She raised an eyebrow. "You can cook really well, and I was wondering if you could maybe cook a really nice dinner? I want to impress her. Girls like romantic dinners, right?"

The knowing grin spread across her face once more. "Not a problem, my friend. One romantic evening coming up, and you won't even know I'm here."

She shut the door again. Craig shrugged and walked away.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The three of them were sitting on the sofa with plates of a rather odd sort of pasta. Neither Craig nor Sophie were entirely sure what was in it, but it tasted amazing so they didn't question it. Jenny and Sophie were chatting animatedly while Craig looked a bit moody. He'd been looking forwards to this, maybe even going to far as to call it a date, but then Sophie invited Jenny to come and sit with them when she realized that the younger girl had done the cooking and now it would just be plain _awkward_ to say anything.

"'Cause life can seem pointless, you know?" Sophie was saying. "Work, weekend, work, weekend, and then there's six _billion _people on the planet doing pretty much the same."

"Watching you two, I'm starting to wonder where those six billion came from," Jenny mumbled.

"What?" Sophie's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Jenny looked up quickly. "Oh! Nothing, don't mind me, just talking to myself. So, the call center, then. You don't like it there?"

"Not really, no."

"What do you really want to do?"

Sophie blushed in embarrassment but responded just the same. "Don't laugh, okay? I only ever told Craig about it. I want to work looking after animals, maybe abroad. I saw this orangutang sanctuary on telly."

Jenny beamed. "Why would I laugh? That's brilliant! What's stopping you?"

"She can't," Craig shrugged. "You need loads of qualifications."

"Yeah, true," Sophie sighed. "Plus, it's scary. Everyone I know lives around here. Craig got offered a job in London, better money, didn't take it."

"What's wrong with staying here?" Craig asked. "I can't see the point of London."

Jenny nodded. _Well, I could watch them sit here awkwardly or I could try and get Sophie to realize that she really __can__ do whatever she wants as long as she believes she can, and maybe that'll get Craig to get off that sofa of his and tell her already. Sounds like a plan. Ooh, look at me, I get to play Cupid!_ "Well, perhaps that's you, then. Perhaps you'll just stay here, safe and sound and maybe just a tiny bit miserable until you drop. Better than trying and failing, yeah?"

Sophie stared. "You think I'd fail?"

"Everyone's got dreams, Soph," she pointed out. "Very few are going to achieve them, so why pretend? Perhaps, in the whole universe, a call center is where you should be."

"Why are you saying that?" Sophie demanded. "That's horrible."

"Is it true?" she prompted.

"Of course it's not true," the other woman scoffed. "I'm not staying in a call center all my life, I can do anything I want!"

Now she smirked, sat back and waited. Just another moment...

Sophie's eyes widened, and she grinned.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, then turned to Craig. "Oh, my God! Did you see what she just did?"

"Are you- what-?"

"It's a big old world, Sophie." Jenny looked between her and Craig. "Find out what's really keeping you here, eh?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny sighed, applying the finishing touches to her contraption. It spun in circles, nearly taking up most to the room, so she had to set it on the bed. _So much for sleep..._

"Right, it's done!" she said into the sonic.

"_What are you getting?"_ the Doctor demanded.

Jenny looked at a converted digital clock, frowning more and more as the readings flicked by.

"It's normal!" she finally said in surprise. "Totally, completely normal! Dad, there's something wrong with something this normal."

"_Only for you could 'too normal' be a problem," _Amy groaned. _"Just go upstairs."_

"I still don't know what's up there, I can't do that?" She sighed. "One of you, pull up the plans of this building. History, layout, anything you think might help. In the meantime, I shall go and recruit a spy."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The next morning she still hadn't gotten any sleep, but talking with her father and Amy had helped a good deal, and after a cup of coffee around four she was wide awake. As sort of an apology to Craig for last night, she made up a nice breakfast, set it all out on a tray, and took it over to where Craig's room was.

"Craig!" she called, knocking on the door. "Craig? I got breakfast, and it's normal. Craig?" She opened the door. "Craig!"

Craig was essentially unconscious on his bed, pale and rather clammy. She rushed over, setting the tray down and kneeling next to him, groaning when she saw his arm.

"Craig, I told you not to touch it!" she scolded, shaking her head at the black streak running up his arm from his hand. "An unfamiliar and obviously poisonous substance. 'Oh, I know what would be really clever, I'll go and shove my hand in it!' Come on, Craig, _breathe_!"

She clasped her hands together and pounded on Craig's chest, causing him to gasp. His breathing still wasn't steady, though, and he wasn't awake.

She grabbed the teapot and ran out of the room and back to the kitchen.

_Need to reverse the enzyme decay, excite the tannin molecules. Tea! Tea, yes, perfect, tea fixes everything. Should have gotten little Amelia to get Dad some tea, might have spared her the process of cooking everything else. Ah, well. Craig, focus on Craig._

She crammed nearly a dozen teabags into the pot, shook it around a bit, and ran back to Craig's room. She knelt down next to the bed once more, and calmly, carefully this time, poured some tea in his mouth through the spout. Eyes only half open, he looked around blearily.

"I've got to go to work..." he mumbled hoarsely.

"No," she said firmly. "Bad idea. You need rest. Come on, one more."

She poured some more tea into his mouth.

"It's the planning meeting... important."

"_You're_ important," she corrected. "You're going to be fine, Craig."

He fell back asleep, Jenny set the tray down on the nightstand for later, then stood up. Looks like she was going to go to work today.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Oh, afternoon," said one of Craig's coworkers as he ran into work around three that afternoon.

"I'm so sorry, Michael," Craig gasped. "I don't know what happened, I've got no excuse." Then he looked over and saw Jenny spinning around in a spinny chair, talking to someone over a headset. "What's she doing here? What are you doing here?"

She held up a finger, listening to the irate and rather obnoxious client on the other end of the line. "Well, if that's your attitude, Mr. Lang, please take your custom elsewhere!" She promptly blew a raspberry and hung up. Craig's eyes widened in horror.

"No, no, no, that's one of my best clients!"

"Craig!" Jenny pulled the headset off and grinned. "How are you feeling? You said that work was important today, I thought I'd fill in for you. You were so out of it you couldn't even call in sick, this was the least I could do..."

Craig could only gape. Michael looked over at him with a smug grin. "That's Jenny," he said as though Craig had never met her before. "I love Jenny. She was brilliant in the planning meeting."

His jaw dropped even more. "You went to the planning meeting?!"

"Don't worry, I was your representative, took those brilliant notes of yours and gave your ideas to everyone. They loved it, you should be proud."

She spun around again as Sophie walked over with some tea and biscuits.

"Here you go, love!" She set the plate down. "Got some custard creams, too. You heard anything from your dad?"

"Yeah, he's got Mum settled down a bit. And custard creams? Really?" She pulled the plate closer to her with a smile. "Thank you!"

Sophie went over to Craig, smiling brightly. "Craig, guess what! I went on the web, applied for a wildlife charity thing. They said I could always start as a volunteer straight away! Should I do it?"

"Yeah, great, yeah... good, go for it..."

Jenny frowned from her seat at the desk. "Craig, you don't look too good. Go on, off to bed, I think there's some lunch in the fridge. Now, who's next?" She tapped at the keyboard. "Ah, yes."

Frustrated, Craig left. Jenny put the headset back on.

"Hello, Mister Joergensen," she said calmly. "Can you hold for a moment? I have to eat a biscuit."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny knelt down next to the cat sitting at the bottom of the stairs in Craig's flat.

"Hello there, love," she said quietly, giving the animal a quick rub behind the ears. "You been upstairs yet?" The cat meowed. "Yes? Do you know what's up there? … Oh. Well, that's not good. That's very not good. Every see anyone go up there? Lots of people? Even more not good. And they never come back down, just fantastic." She looked up as the door opened to see Craig walk into the hall. "Hello, Craig! Is this your cat? I found him insi-"

"I want you to go!" the other man cut in. Jenny froze for a moment, then followed Craig back into the flat. He shoved the cash she had given him before into her hand.

"What have I done?" she asked in confusion.

"Well, you're talking to cat, for starters!"

"Lots of people talk to cats."

"Everybody loves you, you're better than me at my job, and now Sophie's all 'oh, monkeys, monkeys!'" He imitated Sophie's voice in a bad falsetto. "And then..." He marched down the hall and flung open the door to her room. "There's that!"

She cringed at the sight of her scanner twirling around on her bed.

"Would you believe me if I said it's modern art?" she asked weakly.

"Listen, you and me, this isn't gonna work. I know your mum kicked you out, but it's been a few days, your dad should have been able to talk her into letting you come back by now. You've been here three days, the three weirdest days of my life!"

"Your days will get weirder if I leave-"

"I thought it was good weird, but it's bad weird! I can't do this any more!"

"I _need _to stay-"

"No, you don't, you have to leave!"

She sighed as he tried to push her towards the door. "Okay, really sorry, just try and be quiet, 'kay? Oh, I am going to regret this... general background first!"

Jenny grabbed Craig by the lapels of his jacket and slammed their foreheads together. They each jumped back with a cry of pain, grabbing at their heads, but it got the point across. Craig now (hopefully) had all of the basic information about her and her father, incarnations and a few adventures.

Craig was gaping. "You're a..." he said faintly.

"Yes," she agreed.

"From...?" He weakly pointed skyward.

"Shh."

"You've got a TARDIS!"

"Shh!" she repeated forcefully, motioning to her face. "First! Dad's on his eleventh. Time for specifics!"

She rammed their heads together again, giving specifics on why she was there to begin with.

"...You saw my ad in the paper shop window," he murmured.

"Yes, with a note from Amy right above it." She held up the note. "She hasn't written it yet, time travel, very messed up."

"He wears a bowtie!"

She snorted. "Yes."

"And that's a scanner! You used non-technological technology-!"

Jenny finally gave up and clapped her hand over his mouth. "Shut up, Craig! Man upstairs can't know I am, remember? Gah, _never_ doing that again." She ignored the telltale signs of an oncoming headache and took out her sonic. "Amy! Dad!"

"That's Amy Pond!" Craig exclaimed.

"Hello, Earth to TARDIS? Got those plans yet?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Still searching!" the Doctor replied, frustrated.

"_I know what's upstairs! I worked it out with psychic help from a cat."_

"A _cat_?" Amy repeated.

"But I didn't teach you how to speak cat yet!" the Doctor said at the same time. Amy gave him a funny look.

"_TARDIS translation matrix. Anyway, he's got a time engine in the flat upstairs. He's luring people in some how to try and launch it, but it doesn't work. They burn up, and that's the stain on the ceiling."_

"_The ceiling?!" _exclaimed a voice who they presumed belonged to Craig.

"_Well done, Craig. And that's what's throwing the TARDIS off."_

"Lovely!" Amy said sarcastically.

"But how is he-"

There was a crash, the TARDIS lurched again and they both screamed. From Jenny's speaker they could hear the time loop.

"_People are dying up there! People are dying- people are dying- people are dying-" _Another explosion, and Amy was knocked to the floor. The ship steadied a moment later. _"They're being killed!"_

"_Someone's up there."_ Jenny's voice, stuck in horrified realization.

Amy dragged herself up to the console, clinging to the monitor, and her eyes widened in shock. "Doctor!"

"Hang on!"

"_Sophie!"_

A muffled curse from Jenny's end.

"Doctor, tell her to stop!"

"Why?" He ran over to her side and froze.

"_It's Sophie. It's Sophie that's dying up there, it's Sophie!"_

"Jenny, _stop_!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They froze at the top of the stairs, hand on the door knob, Craig clutching Sophie's keys in his hand.

"Where's Sophie?" Craig demanded.

"Hold on a sec," she said, hands clenched so tightly around the sonic she was scared that the metal was going to permanently warp. "Dad? Dad, talk to me?"

"_Are you upstairs?" _he asked breathlessly, sounding almost terrified. She gulped.

"Yeah, just going in."

"_But you can't be upstairs." _This from Amy, sounded equally freaked out.

"Of course I can be upstairs, why can't I be upstairs?" Her voice took on a nervous tone.

"Come on!" Craig urged.

"_We've got the plans, Jen! You cannot be upstairs, it's a one-story building. There is no upstairs!"_

That caused the two to stop, and they looked slowly back down the staircase they had just walked up.

"Dad?" she said, proud of herself for sounding so calm. "I'm going in. Don't say anything."

They walked through the door of the upstairs flat only to come face to face with a large spaceship, very advanced. In fact, it looked rather similar in design to...

"What?" Craig looked around. "No, that's not..."

"I get it," Jenny said after a moment. "The time engine isn't _in _the flat, the time engine _is_ the flat! Someone's very bad attempt to construct themselves a TARDIS."

"No." Craig shook his head. "There's always been an upstairs."

"Has there been?" she asked lightly. "Think about it."

A scream from near the console interrupted them, and Craig paled.

"Sophie!" he shouted, running to her side. "Sophie! Oh, my God, Sophie!"

Jenny's mind was racing. There were small, round, glowing panels around the console, and one had latched onto Sophie's hand and was pulling her forwards. That had to be how the people were getting dragged up there, but why would they be inside Craig's house in the first place?"

"Craig, she can't hear you," Jenny said, looking around for anything that could help. "It's controlling her, it's _making _her touch the activator."

"It's not going to have her!"

But despite their combined efforts, she touched the panel and let out a scream.

"Sophie!" Craig shouted. The panel went dark and she dropped to the ground.

"You will help me."

_Oh, now what?_

She turned to look at what was clearly a hologram of an elderly man, almost definitely the one who had spoken just before and almost definitely the "man" Craig had thought was renting the upstairs flat.

"You will help me," it repeated.

"Give me a moment!" she whined, starting to pace. "Okay! Let's see, you're a crashed ship, right? You're the emergency programming, but why did you crash?"

"The ship has crashed," the hologram said in a monotone. "The crew are dead. A pilot is required."

"And... you've been luring people up so you can try them out." She groaned in frustration. Sophie had woken up in Craig's arms and was asking frantically where they were; Jenny was doing her best to ignore them. "Don't you get it? Human brains aren't enough, they just burn up. But you're really stupid! You just keep trying, don't you?"

"Seventeen people have been tried. Six billion, four hundred thousand and twenty six remain."

"Seriously, what's going on?"

Sophie was on her feet now and demanding answer. Jenny turned to look at her.

"The top floor of Craig's building is actually an alien space ship intent on slaughtering the population of this planet. Any questions? No? Good."

"Yes, I have questions-!"

"The correct pilot has now been found."

Jenny glared at the hologram. "I was worried you'd say that."

"_Jen, don't let yourself touch it!" _The Doctor had given up on keeping silent. _"You can't, it would be to much!"_

"The correct pilot has been found. The correct pilot has been found." Jenny braced herself against the floor as a panel latched onto her hand with tendrils of light and started dragging her forwards.

"Well, could you do it?" Craig asked nervously. "Could you fly this?"

"I could fly it, but not like this! I touch this, the solar system blows!" She gritted her teeth in pain, stopping her hand just inches above the panel. The sonic was lying on the floor a few feet away, worthless.

"The correct pilot has been found."

"No!" she snapped. "Really bad idea! I, on the other hand, have a very good idea." She looked desperately towards Craig. "Listen, Craig, it doesn't take everyone! It didn't want you!"

"I spoke to him and he said I couldn't help him," Craig nodded, not sure where she was going. Sophie stood next to him.

"It didn't want Sophie before but now it does? What's changed?" She groaned again in pain. "No, I told you to stop it! I gave her the idea of leaving! It's a machine that needs to leave, it wants people who want to leave! And _you _don't want to leave, Craig, you're Mr Sofa Man." Cries echoed from the sonic as the TARDIS began to toss wildly about once again while the ship on Earth made the disturbances even worse. "Craig, you can shut down the engine! Put your hand on the control panel and concentrate on why you want to stay!"

"Craig, no!" Sophie looked at him in shock, but he looked back at Jenny.

"Will it work?" he asked her.

"Yes!" she said firmly.

"Are you sure?"

"_Yes_!"

"Is that a lie?"

She rolled her eyes and glared at him. "Of course it's a lie!"

Craig took a deep breath. "Good enough for me. In the words of your father, then: geronimo!"

He slammed his hand down onto the panel and screamed. Jenny lurched backwards as the ship released her.

"Craig!"

"What's keeping you here?" Jenny said to him, leaning heavily on the side of the console. "Think about everything that makes you want to stay here! _Why don't you want to leave?_"

"Sophie!" he shouted. "I don't want to leave Sophie!" Sophie stared at him with wide eyes. "I can't leave Sophie! I love Sophie!"

Sophie seemed lost for words, but she was smiling, eyes filled with emotion. "I love you too, Craig, you idiot!" She slammed her hand down onto the panel on top of his. The ship around them began to smoke and spark.

"Honestly, do you mean that?"

"Of course I mean it! Do you mean it?"

"I've always meant it! Seriously though, do you mean it?"

"Yes."

"But..." Now he seemed confused. "What about the monkeys?"

Jenny snatched her sonic up from the floor and stared at them in exasperation. "Oh, not now, not again! Craig, the planet's about to burn! For God's sake, _kiss the girl!_"

"_Kiss the girl!" _came the unified agreement from the TARDIS.

Craig pulled Sophie into a kiss, the two finally able to remove their hands from the panel, and Jenny sank to the floor in relief.

"_Jenny!" _her father shouted through the communicator. _"You've done it. Hah! You've done it, Jen!"_

"_The screen's just zeros!" _Amy called. _"Minus ones, minus twos, minus threes...!"_

Jenny laughed, but stopped as the hologram began to glitch and cycle through projection after projection.

"Help me- help me- help me- help me-" She groaned, scrambling to her feet. "Help me- help me- help me- help me- help me- help me- help me-"

Sophie and Craig broke apart. "Did we switch it off?" Craig asked.

"Emergency shutdown." She ran forwards, grabbed their hands, started pulling them towards the door. "It's imploding, everybody out, out, out!"

They tore down the stairs and out of the house as it began to shake, dove through the front door and made a mad scramble for the other side of the street. Across from them, the perception filter around Craig's house dissipated to finally show the ship from the outside, and then it just disappeared.

"Look at them," Craig gasped. "Didn't they see that? The whole top floor just... _vanished_."

"Perception filter," Jenny shrugged, breathing heavily. "There never was a top-"

She was nearly tackled to the ground by a red and beige blur – Amy and the Doctor squashing her into a hug.

"Jenny!" he gasped, holding her close to his chest and kissing the top of her head, link flooding full of gratitude and pride that he couldn't quite express with words. "Jen, oh, you _brilliant_ girl! You beautiful, brilliant, precious girl!"

"Who're they?" Sophie whispered to Craig.

"The girl's Amy," Craig whispered back. "The guy in the tweed's the Doctor."

"That's her dad?"

"Yeah."

"He looks, like, five!"

The Doctor gave Jenny another squeeze. "Keep hugging Jenny," he instructed Amy, then walked over to Craig and Sophie, giving them both Gothic kisses before pulling them into a quick hug.

"So, Craig and Sophie, quite the pleasure." He smiled, but the relief in his voice was practically overwhelming. "I just wanted to thank you for looking after Jen, there. Hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"No, that's..." Craig nodded. "It's fine. You're the Doctor, then?"

The Time Lord straightened his bowtie. "The one and only!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was afternoon. Jenny had packed away what she could of her scanner so Craig didn't need to dismantle it or clean it up. The Doctor and Amy had chatted with the two humans for a bit, then Amy went to help Jenny while the Doctor moved the TARDIS closer to the house. As of right now, Amy was waiting outside on the sidewalk with the Doctor, and Jenny was putting her keys back on the hook and trying to leave without disturbing Craig and Sophie, who were engaging in a rather heated makeout session that she really didn't need to be a witness to.

She was nearly to the front door when she heard a shout.

"Oi!" It was Craig and Sophie, hurrying to catch up to her.

"What, you're trying to sneak off?" Sophie laughed.

"You were..." She shrugged awkwardly. "...busy."

Craig rolled his eyes, holding the keys out to her.

"I want you to keep these," he said. "You and your dad and Amy, you drop by whenever you like, now."

She took the keys with a somewhat sad smile. "Thanks, Craig, but... you've been inside my head. You know my life, you know my dad. You know I wouldn't come back."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but I want you to keep them."

She pulled them both into a hug. "Stay safe, now, the two of you."

She had nearly shut the door behind her, and almost missed their parting response. "You too, Commander!"

The Doctor threw his arm over her shoulders as she walked back to the TARDIS.

"You alright there, Jen?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah." She looked up and smiled. "Yeah, I'm good."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Back in time!" the Doctor shouted, running about the console and pulling levers. "Amy, you need to go to the paper shop, leave that note for Jenny."

"Rectifier's playing up again..." Jenny frowned at the noise the console was making. "Oh, and one of us needs to go change the will."

"You do that," the Doctor nodded. "Amy, write the note. There's a red pen in my pocket. Rectifier, you said?"

They wandered off to their separate tasks, and neither of them saw Amy pull her engagement ring out of the Doctor's pocket.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

**Well, this was originally going to be titled **_**The Lodgers**_** and featuring both the Doctor and Jenny hanging around Craig's flat, but then I realized that I needed some serious character development. Jenny isn't a kid, but technically she sort of is and she depends on her father more than she realizes. She looks to him for guidance, expects him to always be there for her, and when you take that away, she starts to freak a bit. I felt like that needed to happen.**

**So... here you go! One entirely Jenny-centric chapter for you all, and... (cue drumroll) **_**Meanwhile in the TARDIS **_**has now been published! You can find it in the list of stories on my profile page. Updates will be rather sporadic, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!**

**On a random note, five long term assignments due within a month of each other and our equivalent of finals next week. Wish me luck, amigos. **


	24. The Pandorica Opens

**So, about the wait... I was apparently given a faulty hard drive the last time my laptop crashed. Three guesses as to whose hard drive crashed again, and the first two don't count. Now. Here we have another chapter, more tantalizing hints, and if anybody wants to drop by my inbox and talk/cry/freak out/rant over the finale with me, feel free. Also, I will give you a non-existent free cake if you spot my reference in this chapter. It's close to the end...**

* * *

_France__, 1890_

The thunder and rain poured down outside, late at night, and the whole town did their best to ignore the roaring sky and the sound of Vincent's tormented cries.

The inside of the cottage was similar to how it had always been, if a bit more cluttered with paintings. A fresh canvas with the paint still drying depicted a vase of sunflowers dedicated to the girl with the sunflower hair; over in a dark corner, lying on the table, a second, smaller painting was drying. A third stood on an easel. However, none of the artwork was noticed by the four in the small attic room.

"Vincent, can you hear me?" asked a young woman kneeling by the artist's couch. Vincent was caught in some sort of seizure, crying out and oblivious to everything. "Vincent, look at me! Please, Vincent..."

"It's not enough he goes drinking all around the town, now the whole neighborhood has to listen to his screaming!" Vincent's housekeeper muttered angrily to Doctor Gachet, the man who had been called to take care of Vincent when it got particularly bad.

"He's very ill, Madame Vernet..." he tried in a placating tone. Vernet's lips thinned in disgust, but she commented nothing more on Vincent's health and turned to the third painting in the room in hopes of venting her anger on something else.

"Look at this," she scoffed. "Even worse than his usual rubbish." Gachet frowned in confusion and joined her side. "What's it supposed to be, anyway?"

"Ignore it," the woman kneeling on the floor said abruptly, getting to her feet and joining them. "It's for me, you don't need to worry about it."

Vernet started to respond with a scathing retort, then took in the woman's widower garb and the thin veil and cut back. "You like his paintings, then?"

The woman gave a short nod, then returned the floor next to the couch. "Vincent, wake up. Can you hear me, Vincent?"

"Silly child," Vernet muttered in a tone quiet enough so the widow couldn't hear. "Probably just as mad as he is, no doubt, and going around calling herself something outlandish like _commander__..._"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Edwin Bracewell and Winston Churchill looked down at the painting rolled out on the desk while the bombs rained down above them, shaking the bunker.

"It was found underneath the floorboards in an attic in London, of all places," Bracewell was explaining. "Not far from here, as a matter of fact. And... it's genuine. It's a Van Gogh."

"Why bring it to me?" Churchill asked, puffing on his cigar.

"Because it's a message," Bracewell stated the obvious. "And you can see who it's for."

"Can't say I understand it."

"It's from the Commander, sir, I doubt anybody could understand it." Bracewell gave a helpless shrug, turning over a corner of the yellowed canvas and running a gloved hand over the strange message written out in faded ink. "We're just supposed to deliver it."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

River listened to Churchill on the phone with wide eyes; the guard on the other side of the cell bars looked on in confusion.

"_I __don__'__t __know __who __you __are__, __but __you __do __know __the __Doctor__, __so __I __might __as __well __give __you __this__. __I __have __a __message __from __the __Commander __to __the __Doctor__, __and __I __have __no __way __to __get __it __to __him__."_

"The Commander!" Her eyes widened in shock. "Do you know who she is?"

"_Do __you__?" _Her silence was enough of a reply. _"__Thought __not__. __Nobody __knows __who __the __Commander __is__, __but __she __is __a __legend __and __a __force __to __be __reckoned __with__. __If __she __says __that __a __painting __needs __to __be __brought __to __the __Doctor__, __then __the __painting __needs __to __be __brought __to __the __Doctor__. "_

"Where is it now?"

"_Currently __in __my __office__-"_

"Lock it up. Doesn't matter where, just lock it up with a note saying that it needs to be brought to the Royal Collection."

The connection fizzled out, and she handed the guard back the phone while discreetly reaching for the hallucinogenic lipstick.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The gun in Liz 10's hand didn't waver in the slightest as she aimed it at the thief who had the nerve to break into her collection of paintings.

"This is the Royal Collection and I'm the bloody Queen," she said coolly. "What are you doing here?"

"It's about the Doctor and Jenny, ma'am." She blinked in shock. "You met them once, didn't you? I know they've been here before."

"The Doctor!" Liz repeated faintly, lowering her gun. "And Jenny... who are you? How do you know them?"

"My name is River Song, and they're in trouble. I need to find them."

"Then why are you stealing a painting?"

River walked up the stairs with the canvas, unrolling it to show her. "Look at this. I need to find the Doctor and Jenny, and I need to show them this."

Liz scrambled for words. "But that's... what's the thing on the back?"

"A message from the Commander." Liz's gaze sharpened. "If you know anything about her, don't tell me. If that is what I think it is... I can't know that. Please."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Amy swung back and forth on the swing underneath the console room floor, only looking up when the arguing above her got a bit too loud to ignore.

"It was my idea!"

"No, it was my idea, I just suggested it!"

"I'm the older one!"

"You're my father, of course you are!"

"Wait, what's happening?" Amy asked, coming around up the stairs. The two Time Lords turned around and spoke in unison.

"He started it!"

"She started it!"

They both glared.

"Okay!" Amy held her hands up defensively. "Never mind who started... it. What is _it__?_"

"I had-"

"No, _I_had-"

"You both had an idea, I get that!" Amy cut in. "What is this idea? Never mind who, just go along without naming names."

The Doctor let out a short huff. "...There's a planet, the oldest known planet in the universe, called Planet One, and there's letters inscribed on a cliff face. Fifty feet high, the first known written language, and nobody knows what it says because nobody's ever been there before! But the TARDIS translation matrix can easily translate that, so there was an idea that we go and see what it said."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Are you sure that you're the oldest one in this room, because you're both acting like three-year-olds!"

"Don't be insulting!" Jenny looked taken aback. "I'm _four_."

"Why don't we just go to the planet, okay?" she tried to placate. "Never mind whose idea it was, let's just go with it."

The Doctor shrugged. "Fine by me."

"Good delegating, Pond," Jenny agreed, following him over to the console.

Amy could only shake her head as they went about setting the TARDIS into flight. There was that ring in the Doctor's pocket, the two were being awfully nice to her, Jenny looked sad when she thought nobody was looking... and that argument seemed a bit more for her own amusement than an actual argument between the to. She had yet to be privy to one of those, and that was probably a good thing.

"Landed!" the Doctor shouted. "Race you to the door!"

Despite being on the other side of the console, Jenny leaped over the railing instead of taking the stairs and therefore the two collided with the doors at the same time. A disapproving hum came from the console.

"You two are ridiculous," Amy laughed.

Jenny grinned back in reply and opened up the doors. "Planet One! Cliff of pure diamond, _actual _diamond, which should be pretty cool."

"And there's mystery letters?" Amy asked as they walked out onto the tropical planet, looking around at the plants and animals scurrying through the underbrush, pausing for a moment to stare at a mushroom nearly twenty feet tall.

"Over... there."

Initially sounding excited, the Doctor trailed off, letting out a sigh and shaking his head. "No, that's... that's not... no."

Jenny began laughing uncontrollably. "She- she would! Ha!"

Up on the cliff, above a set of coordinates, read the words _HELLO __SWEETIES__._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The TARDIS materialized on the top of a hill at dusk, and they looked around.

"Right place?" Amy questioned, fully aware of the Doctor's piloting skills. Jenny's were better, but considering her father was the one who had taught her the basics, it was always doubtful as to whether or not they would wind up in the right place at the right time. Or even just the right place _or_the right time. Mostly it was neither.

"Just followed the coordinates on the cliff face," the Doctor said with a nod. "Earth, Britain." He glanced at his watch. "1:02 AM." A pause. "No, PM."

Jenny stopped at the crest of the hill. "No," she called back. "A_D_."

He joined her side and the three looked out over a Roman encampment sprawling across the field below.

"That's a Roman legion," Amy said after a moment as though she couldn't quite believe her eyes.

"Romans," Jenny echoed faintly.

"Well, yeah," the Doctor responded, trying to pass off his shock. "The Romans invaded Britain several times during this period."

Amy smirked. "Oh, I know. My favorite topic at school: Invasion of the Hot Italians." Jenny couldn't quite stop a laugh. "Yeah, I did get marked down for the title..."

She trailed off as a Roman soldier ran up to them, breathless by the time he reached the top of the hill. Jenny couldn't blame him, running in all that heavy armor? It made her tired to think about it.

"Hail, Caesar!" the soldier gasped, saluting with a fist to his chest and kneeling on the ground.

The Doctor blinked. "...Hi."

"Welcome to Britain!" the soldier continued. "We are honored by your presence!"

"Well, you're only human." The Doctor looked at a loss for words while Jenny did her best not to laugh at his discomfort. "Arise... Roman... person."

Amy leaned over to Jenny. "Why does he think your dad's Caesar?"

Jenny looked pointedly at the smudges of lipstick on the man's face as he stood back up. "Cleopatra will see you know."

"Hallucinogenic lipstick," she murmured in reply as they followed him down the hill. "River uses it, and clearly did here, considering that man seems a _bit_too enthusiastic about Caesar."

Down at the Roman camp, they were escorted to one of the larger tents, guarded on the outside, and inside was none other than River Song, dressed as Cleopatra, being waited on hand and foot by two servants. She took a sip of wine from a glass then handed it back to one servant, smiling.

"Hello, sweeties."

"River!" Amy seemed genuinely happy to see her. "Hi."

The Doctor shook his head and spock in a mock-scolding tone. "You graffitied the oldest cliff face in the universe."

"_You_two wouldn't answer your phone."

Jenny shrugged. "She has a point."

"But the cliff-!"

Jenny snickered as the Doctor tried to justify himself, while Amy watched on in amusement. River waved away the servants with a simple gesture before reaching down to pick up a scrolled canvas. Jenny sobered at the sight. It was... old, definitely old, the canvas was yellowed and frayed along the edges.

"What's that?" she asked.

"It's a painting," River replied. "Your friend Vincent." The Doctor stiffened and snatched the painting out of her hands, starting to unroll it. River got to her feet. "He had visions, didn't he? I thought you ought to know about this one."

The Doctor set the canvas out flat on a wooden box, taking a step back and not saying a word. Jenny felt a painful twist in her gut.

_That__'__s __the __TARDIS__._

_Yes__._

_Dad__, __that__'__s __the__-_

_Yes__, __I __see __that__, __Jen__!_

_..._

_Sorry__._

_It__'__s __okay__, __Dad__._

The four of them stared at the painting in something akin to shock.

"Why's it exploding?" Amy asked after a moment of stunned silence. The Doctor couldn't even bring himself to reply, sitting down. Jenny knelt down beside the canvas and tentatively pulled back the corner. "Something's going to happen to the TARDIS?"

"It might not be that literal-" River started, but Jenny's sharp intake of breath cut her off.

"_Dad__," _she said, only the Doctor able to understand her when she fell back into Gallifreyan. _"__Dad__, __look__at__this__."_

He quickly went to her side and frowned.

_Bring __this __painting __to __the __Wandering __God__.__The __Pandorica __is __opening__._

Underneath it, the message continued, but it was too faded to read and it didn't appear to contain much more than a second line and a signature.

_Wandering __God__... __is __that __what __this__ '__Commander__' __thinks __of __me__?_

_I __don__'__t __know__, __Dad__._

"Does it have a title?" he finally asked.

River nodded. "'The Pandorica Opens'."

"The Pandorica?" Amy repeated. "What is it?"

"A box," River shrugged. "A cage, a prison... it was built to contain the most feared thing in all the universe."

"And it's a fairy tale-" the Doctor started.

"-a legend," Jenny continued. "It can't be real!"

"Not possible."

"If it is real," River interrupted them. "It's here, and it's opening, and it's got something to do with your TARDIS exploding. Hidden, obviously, buried for centuries..."

Jenny shook her head as the Doctor went to pull out some local maps. "We can't find it on a map."

"No," he agreed. "_But__, _if you buried the most dangerous thing in the universe, you'd want to remember where you put it."

Jenny felt a slow grin spreading across her face. "Does this mean I get to ride a horse?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

After they had been supplied 'transport' as the Doctor so eloquently called it, and after River had changed into something a bit more modern and easier to walk in, they took off across the plains and began making their way to Stonehenge.

_Jenny__?_

Jenny glanced over at her father as the ground sped past underneath them, relishing the feeling of the wind on her face and just the _fun _of everything! Not as good as TARDIS-travel, but it was fun.

_Yeah__, __Dad__?_

_I __don__'__t __know __how __to __ride __a __horse__!_

Amy and River looked at each other in confusion as Jenny nearly fell out of the saddle laughing hysterically, then Amy chuckled and shook her head.

"Knowing those two, best not ask, yeah?" she called.

River paused, then nodded. "Probably for the best, Amy."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It took almost no time at all for them to make it to Stonehenge, and both the Doctor and Jenny were scanning the massive stones with their sonics while River typed in information on a handheld scanner.

"How come it's not new?" Amy asked, looking at the massive structure. Jenny glanced around. Truthfully, it looked no different than it did in modern days.

"Because it's already old," River answered, seeing the Doctor preoccupied. "Been here thousands of years, no one knows exactly how long."

Amy nodded; it seemed a reasonable answer. "Okay, this Pandorica thing. Last time we saw you, you warned us about it, after we climbed out of the-"

Jenny, in the process of moving to scan another stone, clapped a hand over her mouth before she could say anymore. "Spoilers!" both she and River said at the same time. "Actually, though, in all seriousness, you did say that. Which means we get out of this alive."

"Time can be rewritten,"

"No!" Neither of them were entirely sure where the vehement and somewhat grim declaration came from, but Jenny quickly continued onwards, ignoring her own outburst and talking to Amy. "She did, in the future, but she hasn't yet." To River, "What are you picking up on that scanner?"

"Fry particles," River said after a pause, looking at the small screen. "Fry particles everywhere. Energy weapons discharged on this site."

The Doctor was standing on top of a large stone, and he pulled Jenny up to join him. "If the Pandorica is here..." he started slowly. "...then it contains the mightiest warrior in history."

"Do you think it's a Dalek?" Jenny asked quietly.

He laughed. "Nah, doubtful. Silly, for a Dalek to lock up one of its own, unless it was insane, but no. Not a Dalek, Jen, no worries." He jumped off of the stone and pressed an ear to it. "We need to get down there."

They set to it instantly, Jenny mostly trailing after her father and passing instructions from River and the Doctor to Amy while the two former did most of the actual work. They placed small devices on the corners of many of the stones and set up lights around the circle, waiting until they could hook everything up to River's scanner and find the underhenge.

"Right then," River said after a few minutes, walking over to the Doctor, Jenny, and Amy. "Ready."

She pressed a button on the scanner, and a rock not five feet away from them slid open, revealing stone steps underneath. The Doctor stepped forwards, River taking a flashlight out of her pocket and switching it on.

"The underhenge..." the Doctor said softly. Jenny reached over and squeezed his hand, partly for his benefit and partly for her own, taking her sonic screwdriver out of her boot and using it as a flashlight for herself. They walked down the dark, narrow stairs single-file, and Jenny took a torch off the wall and used the sonic to light it. River took a torch off the wall opposite and lit it using the one in Jenny's hand. In front of them was a large set of doors with a beam lying across it like a lock.

With a nod and a smile to River and Jenny, the Doctor pushed open the doors and walked forward into a massive, cavern-like room. In the center stood a massive box with intricate circular patterns on each side. The Doctor looked shocked.

"It's the Pandorica," he breathed.

River smirked, walking up to stand next to Jenny. "More than just a fairy tale?"

He took a deep breath and walked forwards, only to step on something with a loud _clang_, and looked down to see the dismembered arm of a Cyberman. Slightly more wary, he went forwards and placed a hand on the side of the box.

"There was a goblin," Jenny explained, mostly for Amy's benefit. "Or a trickster, or a warrior... A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in all the cosmos, and there wasn't anything that could stop it, or hold it captive, or reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your whole world."

Amy looked at the box nervously. "How did it end up in there?"

"You know fairy tales." The Doctor turned to smile at her. "A good wizard tricked it."

He started to circle the Pandorica. River handed Amy her torch and took out her scanner, and Jenny walked next to her. Amy followed.

"I hate good wizards in fairy tales," River said in a conspiratorial whisper. "They always turn out to be him."

"You think I don't know that?" Jenny whispered back in the same tone. "Why do you think he's always telling me so many? And don't get me started on Tolkien..."

Amy chuckled. River laughed, and the Doctor looked up at the sound. "Yes," she called to him.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, we are talking about you again."

He stuck his tongue out, and Jenny retaliated. Amy rolled her eyes.

"Are we sure that he's the oldest one in the room?" she asked River. River just smiled. Amy held the torch up higher and looked around. "So it's kind of like Pandora's box, then? Almost the same name."

The Doctor frowned. "Sorry, what?"

"The story." Amy looked faintly surprised he hadn't heard of it. "Pandora's Box, with all the worst things in the world."

"Except for hope," Jenny added. Amy smiled and nodded. "Hope always stays."

The Doctor put the torch back on the wall and started scanning the Pandorica with the sonic.

"That was my favorite book when I was a kid."

_That _caused the two Time Lords to freeze.

_Dad._

_Yes, Jen._

_The Roman's, she knew all about them, and now the Pandorica? You have to admit, it sounds similar._

_It does, yes._

_Aren't you worried?!_

_Yes._

_You don't sound like it._

_Don't want to scare the companion._

_Fair point._

He walked over to Amy, a concerned look on his face. Jenny and River watched quietly.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked, not seeing the problem.

"Your favorite topic, your favorite story..." He shook his head, trailing off. "Never ignore a coincidence, unless you're busy..." He pointed at Jenny, who rolled her eyes.

"In which case, always ignore a coincidence," she finished, walking a short distance away from the group to get a better view of the chamber. Tactical advantage, and all that.

"So can you open it?" River asked them.

"Easily," the Doctor scoffed.

"Anyone can break_ into_ a prison-" Jenny said.

"-but we'd rather know what we're going to find first," the Doctor continued.

River looked down at the scanner. "It's already opening!" she said after a moment. "There are layers and layers of security protocols in there, and they're being disabled, one by one. Like it's... being unlocked from the inside."

"How long do we have?" the Doctor demanded.

"Hours at the most."

Jenny had started juggling the sonic and torches. "What kind of security?"

"Everything," River replied, giving a faint smile at her actions, but quickly sobering. "Deadlocks, time-stops, matter-lines..."

The Doctor turned and stared at the box, worried, anxious. For something to be _that powerful_... "What could need all that?"

"What could get _past _all that?" Jenny corrected. "Think of the fear that went into making this box..."

"What could inspire that level of fear?" The Doctor walked over to the box, trailing a hand down the side. "Hello, you. Have we met?"

"So why would it start to open now?" River asked them.

"No idea."

"And how could Vincent have known about it?" Amy asked. "He won't even be born for centuries."

Jenny swiftly caught the torches and her sonic, placing one torch back on the wall and using the sonic on the pillars holding up the cavern ceiling. The Doctor's eyes widened at the same time as hers.

"The stones!" they shouted in unison.

"These stones are great big transmitters, broadcasting a warning-"

"-to everyone, everywhere-"

"-in _every _time zone. The Pandorica is opening!"

River, however, had frozen in sudden realization. "Doctor, Jen... everyone, everywhere?"

"Even poor Vincent had heard it in his dreams..."

"What's in there? What could justify all this?"

"Doctor, _everyone_?"

"Anything that powerful, we should know about it."

"Why don't we know?"

"Doctor! Jenny!" They finally stopped and looked at River. "You said everyone could hear it. So who else is coming?"

The realization felt like a glass of ice water trickling down his spine and settling in his stomach as a ball of ice. "Oh."

"Oh?" Amy looked between them. "Oh, what?"

River quickly went into action, pressing her scanner against the pillar. "Okay, if it is basically a transmitter, we should be able to fold back the signal."

"Doing it," the Time Lords replied together, using their respective screwdrivers on the pillars.

"Stonehenge is transmitting," Jenny explained to Amy, seeing her still in the dark. "It's been transmitting for a while... so who heard?"

"Okay, should be feeding back to you now," the Doctor called. "River, what's out there? Getting anything?"

The silence that followed was almost painful.

"River!" the Doctor repeated. "Quickly, anything?"

Stunned, she managed a faint reply. "Around this planet, there are at least ten thousand starships."

"At least?" Amy echoed.

"Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, one million, I don't know. There's too many readings." For the first time that Jenny could remember (because even in the Library all that time ago not once did she sound like this), River looked scared.

"What kind of starships?" the Doctor demanded. Before River could give a response, the feedback started coming through the speakers of the scanner and their hearts plunged.

"_Maintaining orbit," _came the Dalek voice.

"_I obey," _said a second. _"Shield cover compromised on ion sectors."_

"Daleks," Amy said faintly. "Those are Daleks."

"_Scan detects no temporal activity. Soft grid scan commencing."_

"_Reverse thrust for compensatory stabilization."_

"Daleks," River emphasized, seeing no reaction whatsoever from the Doctor.

"_Launch preliminary armaments protocol."_

"Yes." The Doctor swallowed nervously, starting to pace. Jenny's grip was so tight on the torch in her hand she was worried the wood would shatter under her grip. "Okay. Okay, okay, okay... Dalek fleet. Minimum, twelve thousand battleships, armed to the teeth."

"One thousand Daleks on each ship," Jenny muttered. "Twelve million Daleks."

"But we've got surprise on our side!" the Doctor shouted. "They'll never expect four people to attack twelve thousand Dalek battleships, 'cause we'd be killed instantly!"

"Fairly short surprise. Forget surprise."

River's eyes widened. "Doctor, Cyber-ships."

Jenny blinked, desperately hoping that didn't mean what she thought it meant. "No, those are Dalek ships," she stated, doubting her own words. "Listen them, those are Dalek ships."

"Yes," River agreed. "Dalek ships _and_Cyber-ships."

"Well, we need to start a fight, turn them on each other," the Doctor tried. "It's the Daleks... they're _so _cross..."

"Sontaran!" River gasped. "Four battle fleets."

"Sontarans, talk about cross, who stole all their handbags...?"

"Terileptil." When River didn't stop reading, it felt like Jenny was drowning in this massive pit, everything flying at them so quickly there was no time to process or dodge and the odds against them were impossible. "Slitheen. Chelonian, Nestene, Drahvin, Sycorax, Haemo-goth, Zygon, Atraxi, Draconian-!" she cut herself off with a gasp. "They're all here. For the Pandorica."

The Doctor turned and stared at the box with a tiny bit of curiosity and a lot of fear. "What _are _you?"

They ran up to ground level as the floor underneath them began to shake. Outside Stonehenge, they looked up at the night sky to see hundreds upon thousands of ships, all swirling above them and lighting up the dark.

"What do we do?" Amy asked.

River turned and looked at the Doctor, and when she spoke she sounded desperate. "Doctor, listen to me!" she pleaded. "Everything that _ever _hated you is coming here tonight. You can't win this, you can't even fight is. Doctor, Jenny, this once, just this _one time_, _please_, you have to run."

"Run where?" Jenny shrugged helplessly.

"Fight how?" River countered.

The Doctor took a deep breath, then nodded.

_How is that a good plan, Dad?_

_Do you have a better one?_

_...I'm scared. I don't want to be, but I'm terrified. Why can't we just run? Listen to River, get out of here, keep Amy safe._

_We can't run, Jen. We can never run away. Not from this._

"The greatest military machine in the history of the universe," the Doctor said aloud, looking back the way they came.

"What is?" Amy asked him. "The Daleks?"

"No, no, no." Jenny shook her head. "The Romans."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Back in the underhenge, Amy was going around lighting more torches while the Doctor and Jenny continued to examine the Pandorica.

"So what's this got to do with the TARDIS?"

"One problem at a time, Amy," Jenny replied. "This is opening now, the TARDIS is perfectly all right."

"If I can enhance the signal..." the Doctor mumbled. "I could extend it...? That'd buy us half an hour."

"About half an hour," Jenny agreed. "Yeah. What good is half an hour?"

"There are fruit flies living on Hoppledom 6 that live for twenty minutes and they don't even mate for life..." He trailed off as Jenny raised an eyebrow. "...There was going to be a point to that. I'll get back to you two."

"So..." Amy's tone of voice made them both stop and turn to look at her, and Jenny bit down on her tongue to keep from saying anything when she saw the red ring box in her hand. "Are you proposing to someone, Doctor? 'Cause I found this in your pocket."

"No," the Doctor said after a pause. "No, no, that's, uh... a memory. A friend of ours, someone we lost." He reached for the box, but Amy pulled away.

"It's weird, I feel..." She shook her head, staring at the ring. "I don't know. Something."

The two Time Lords stepped forwards, Jenny placing her hand over Amy's. "People fall out of the world, sometimes, but they always leave traces," she said gently, thinking of another redhead from so long ago. "Little things we can't quite account for."

"Faces in photos, luggage, half-eaten meals..." the Doctor continued. "Rings... Nothing is ever forgotten, not completely. And if something can be remembered, it can come back."

There was a tantalizing moment where Amy's eyes seemed to narrow in realization, but then she snapped the ringbox shut and handed it back to the Doctor. "So, was she nice, your friend?"

The Doctor gave a long, sad smile and put the ring back in his pocket. "Remember that night you flew away with me?"

"Of course I do," came the reply, Amy speaking as though it should be obvious.

"And you asked us why we were taking you and we said there wasn't a reason," Jenny added, leaning against a pillar. "We lied."

"What, so you did have a reason?" Now she did sound confused.

"Your house," the Doctor nodded.

"My- my house?" Amy repeated.

"It was too big," Jenny sighed. "Even I noticed that, and I didn't go into your house. Too many empty rooms. Does it ever bother you, Amy, even just a little bit, that your life doesn't make any sense-?"

A laser blast cut her off, causing Amy to scream and all three of them to dart behind Pandorica for cover.

"Okay, what was that?" Amy gasped, eyes wide.

"Need a proper look," the Doctor said, pressed up against the side of the box. "Got to draw its fire, give it a target."

_Dad, don't you dare-_

"How?" their companion asked.

"You know how sometimes I have really brilliant ideas?"

"Yes..."

_Dad, don't even think about it-!_

"Sorry, Jen!" He ran out from behind the Pandorica, waving his arms in the air. "Look at me, I'm a target!"

The laser fired once more, and the Doctor ducked behind a pillar.

"What is it?" Amy shouted to him.

"Cyber-arm!" he shouted back. "Arm of a Cyberman."

"And what is a Cyberman?"

"Oh, sort of part man, part robot," Jenny said dismissively. "Nothing important, organic part died off years ago and now it's looking for fresh meat. Like being an organ donor except you're alive and screaming. What is important that father dearest just nearly got himself killed."

"I said I was sorry!"

Jenny huffed. "I'll draw it's fire again while you get around behind it."

"Wait!" She stopped at the edge of the box. "How come it's okay for you to do this but not me?"

"Progenated soldier. I can backflip through lasers, you try and run through them and hope you don't get caught."

"But what if it hits you?" Amy hissed at her.

"I'll be fine if I'm quick. It's only got one arm. Literally!" She gave a smile and a thumbs up, then ran out in the opposite direction. The cyberarm made to fire at her, but the Doctor managed to dive on top of it and use the sonic on it.

"Doctor?" Amy called nervously. "Jenny?"

"Scrambled it's circuits," the Doctor said. "Stay where you are, though, both of you. It could be bluffing."

"It's an arm, Dad!" Jenny groaned. "How can it bluff?"

"Jen, I taught you better than this!" came the exasperated reply as the Doctor got to his feet. "_Think_, daughter mine! We have a Cyberarm, don't we?"

"Yes, so-"

Realization hit like a sledgehammer as a thin coil wrapped around her ankle and began tightly winding its way up her leg. She barely had time to shout before it managed to knock her off balance, and the panicked scream from Amy's direction indicated that things weren't going well over there, either. A wave of phantom pain rippled through her as something knocked the Doctor unconscious, and the Cyberarm dragging its way towards her leg gave her the same treatment.

She fought against the pain and unconsciousness threatening to overwhelm her as the arm scuttled away, but it was hard and darkness was closing in. The last thing she heard was the sound of Amy's footsteps stumbling away and a heavier pair entering from ground level up above...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny's head was pounding, and she was sure her father's was as well, but no matter. A voice, probably some Roman, as there were a bunch of them in the chamber... when did they get there...? ...spoke to someone else who was evidently a commanding officer.

"Sir, they're coming around."

She let out a low groan. _Amy..._

"Amy!" the Doctor gasped, followed by a thud as Jenny attempted to stand up and wound up falling into a pillar. "Where's Amy?"

They ran into the room, sparing Rory a passing glance and quickly going to Amy's side.

"She's fine, Doctor, Jenny, just unconscious," Rory explained to them. The Doctor nodded distractedly, but Jenny froze, turning to stare at Rory with wide eyes.

"Okay..." the Doctor mumbled. "Yes, she's sedated, that's all, give her half an hour and she'll be fine. Okay, Romans, good, I was just wishing for Romans, good old River. How many?"

"Fifty men up top, volunteers," Rory replied, glancing between the Doctor and Jenny. "What about that?" He pointed to the Cyberman.

"Fifty?" the Doctor repeated. "Not exactly a legion."

"Your friend was very persuasive, but it's a tough sell."

"Well, yes, I know _that_, Rory, I'm not exactly one to miss the obvious. But we need everything we can get!" He looked around, eyes landing on a chest in the corner, and removed two large guns from it. "Okay, Cyber-weapons! This-" Nod to the Cyberman pinned to the wall. "-is basically a sentry box. So, headless wonder here was a sentry. Probably got himself duffed up by the locals. Never underestimate a Celt, Jen!"

"Not planning on it," she replied faintly, still staring at Rory.

"Doctor..." Rory tried to say.

"Hush, Rory," the Doctor cut him off. "Why leave a Cyberman on guard? Unless it's a Cyberthing in the box, but why would they lock up one of their own? Okay, no, not a Cyberthing, but what, what! No, I'm missing something obvious." He had walked around as he spoke and found himself face-to-face with Rory. "I'm missing something obvious, Rory! Something big, something right slap in front of me, I can feel it!"

"Yeah, I think you probably are," he agreed.

"I'll get it in a minute." He tossed one of the guns to Jenny. "Here, take this, Jen, see if it works!"

Rory watched him leave with a disbelieving expression, then looked over at Jenny.

"You okay, there?"

"You're alive," she said quietly, walking over and looking up at him. "And you're all... Roman-y."

He snorted. "Yeah, I noticed."

"...I missed you." He looked almost surprised at her admission. "We all did. You just... _died_, right in front of us."

"Well, I'm here now." He gave a weak shrug. "And all... Roman-y." She gave a slight laugh, and he looked towards the doors. "The Doctor hasn't..."

She merely held up three fingers, then lowered one so she was holding up two, then one, then-

_Crash_.

A clatter came from outside as the Doctor dropped the gun he was carrying and slowly re-entered the room, staring at Rory similar to how Jenny had been moments ago. He stared at Rory for a few long moments before hesitantly poking Rory in the chest.

"Hello again," he said after a moment.

"Hello," Rory replied awkwardly.

"How've you been?"

"Good." He shrugged. "Yeah, good. I mean... Roman."

The Doctor floundered for a bit. "Rory, I'm not trying to be rude, but you _died_."

"Yeah, I know. I was there."

"You died and then you were erased from time," he repeated. "You didn't just _die_, you were never born at all, you never existed."

"And by erased he means that your entire history was wiped away, you were never here, there was no Rory Williams in the universe," Jenny added. "I mean, I'm not complaining, it's... it's wonderful to have you back, it's just..."

"...how can you be here?" the Doctor finished.

"I don't know." Rory shrugged. "It's kind of fuzzy."

"Fuzzy?" Both Time Lords spoke at the same moment, clearly wondering how dying and turn into a Roman could be one of those _fuzzy_memories.

"I don't know!" Rory protested. "I died and turned into a Roman, it's very distracting!" He shook his head, turning to Amy and gently stroking her cheek. "Did she miss me?"

Jenny and her father shared a long, pained glance, only to jump as a loud whoosh and a rumble seemed to pass through the ground underneath their feet. They ran out of the storage area and skidded to a halt in the main cavern, only to find the symbols on the Pandorica glowing green and slowly turning. Jenny hesitantly walked up, waving the sonic over the box and frowning at the readings.

"What is it?" Rory asked them. "What's happening?"

"The final phase," Jenny said at the same time as her father. "It's opening..."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny picked up the blinking communicator as the Doctor tried to figure out what, exactly, the Pandorica was doing.

"_You're surrounded," _River said calmly. _"Have you got a plan?"_

"I think Dad does," Jenny said slowly. "Never know with him, though, do we?" River laughed in agreement. "He just wants you to hurry and get the TARDIS over here since he needs equipment."

"_Of course he does. Hang in there, Jen, I'll be back in a flash."_

Jenny smiled and sat down next to her father. "What do you think it is, though?" she asked him. "They're all here, all of them, for _this_... what is it?"

He didn't reply, only holding his hand out impatiently. She paused, then handed him the communicator.

"Come on, Jen," he said, bouncing to his feet. "I need to go deliver all of our lovely friends a message!"

Outside, he jumped up onto a rock and began talking into the communicator.

"Hello, Stonehenge!" he shouted, pulling Jenny up to his side. "Who takes the Pandorica, takes the universe. But bad news, everyone... 'cause guess who! Ha!"

The spaceships up above them with their flashing lights were zooming about all over the place and most definitely not paying attention. Jenny shook her head and pulled the communicator closer to her. "Listen, you lot, you're all whizzing about, it's very distracting," she shouted. "Could you all just stay still for a minute, because _we. Are. Talking!" _Everything skidded to a halt, and she smiled sweetly. "There, that's better."

The Doctor laughed and resumed his speech. "The question of the hour is: who's got the Pandorica? Answer: we do! Next question: who's coming to take it from us?" There was a long pause, and the ships still didn't move. "Come on!" he shouted. "Look at me! No plan, no backup, no weapons worth a damn. Oh, and something else, we don't have _anything_... to... lose! So if you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship with all your _silly _little guns, and you've got _any _plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember the two that are standing in your way. Remember every black day I ever stopped you. And then, _**and then**_! Do the smart thing... let somebody else try first."

Reaching for his daughter's hand, they both spread their arms out wide, daring _any _of them to try. And finally, one by one, the ships... just took off. The Doctor laughed, wrapped Jenny in a hug and spun her around in a circle, then jumped to the ground.

"That'll keep 'em squabbling for half an hour!" he said with a sense of accomplishment. "Romans!"

They retreated to the underhenge with Rory to strategize.

"They're still out there," Rory said quietly to them. "What do we do now?"

"If we can stop whatever is in this box from getting out-"

"-then they'll go home."

Rory gave them an odd look. "Right..."

Jenny swallowed nervously as she saw Amy stumbling out of the smaller room in the back of the underhenge. "Rory," she said softly. "I'm sorry."

The Doctor followed her gaze and sighed. "You're going to have to be very brave now."

Rubbing her head, Amy walked right past Rory to the Doctor and Jenny. "My head," she mumbled.

"Aaahhh." Jenny opened her mouth wide and prompted Amy to follow suit.

Amy looked a bit confused, but did as she was told. "Aaahhh?"

The Doctor gave her a quick glance and patted her on the head. "Just your basic knockout drops," he assured her. "Get some fresh air, you'll be fine."

Amy frowned. "Is it safe up there?"

"Not remotely-" the Doctor began, but Jenny punched his arm.

"It's perfectly safe," she cut in. "You'll have at least half an hour, and we'll have everything sorted by then. "And, it's fresh. Go on."

Amy nodded, turned, and almost bumped into Rory, who was staring at her with a barely hidden mixture of pain and confusion and longing. "Oh, you're the guy... the one who did the, uh... swordy thing."

"Yeah," Rory said faintly.

"Well, thanks for the swording." She mimed waving a sword about and patted him on the shoulder. "Nice swording."

Rory watched her leave, but turned back to the Doctor in shock when she was finally out of earshot. "She doesn't remember me," he whispered. "How can she not remember me?"

"Because you never existed," he replied sadly. "There are cracks. Cracks in time... there's going to be a huge explosion in the future, on one particular day. Every other moment in history is cracking around it."

"You get too close to one of those cracks and you fall straight out of the universe," Jenny continued.

"So I fell through a crack and now I was never born?"

"Basically."

Rory shook his head. "But how did I end up here?"

"Dunno." Jenny shrugged. "You shouldn't have. I watched you die, Rory, _we _watched you _die_..."

"What happened?" the Doctor asked, throwing an arm over her shoulders. "From your point of view, what physically happened?"

"I was in the cave," Rory said after a pause. "With you and Amy. I was dying and then I was just here, a Roman soldier. A proper Roman, head full of Roman... stuff. A whole other life, like I'd woken up from a dream." He gave a bitter laugh. "Started to think it was a dream. You and Amy and Leadworth. But today... in the camp, the men were talking about the visitors, the girl with the red hair. I thought you'd come back for me, but she can't even _remember _me."

"Oh, shut up."

Rory stopped and stared, bristling at the Doctor's insensitive comment. "What?"

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring box, tossing it to Rory.

"Go get her," he said with a smile.

Rory stared at the ring, the ring _he _had bought. If he didn't exist, then _it_ shouldn't exist, yet here he was... "But I don't understand. Why am I here?"

"Because you are," the Doctor told him. "The universe is big."

"It's vast and complicated and more than a bit ridiculous," Jenny continued.

"Sometimes... sometimes, very rarely, impossible things happen and we call them miracles, and that's the theory. I've got one right here." He lightly squeezed Jenny's shoulder. "Now get upstairs, she's Amy and she's surrounded by Romans. I'm not sure history could take it."

"Am I really your miracle, Dad?" Jenny asked quietly as they watched him go.

"Course you are, Jen, and I am so _very _proud of you."

He gave her another quick hug before going back to the Pandorica, handing Jenny the communicator with a smile. Jenny messed with the frequencies for a moment before speaking. "The TARDIS, have you got it yet, River?"

"_Don't raise your voice, don't look alarmed, just listen."_

Jenny froze, but managed to keep a blank mask as she opened up her mind so the Doctor could hear as well.

"_They're not real, they can't be. They're all right here in the story book, those actual Romans, the ones I sent you, the ones you're with right now. They're all a book in Amy's house, a children's picture book."_

"What are you even doing there?" Jenny asked incredulously.

"_I don't know, the TARDIS went wrong. Jenny, Doctor, how is this possible?"_

_Something's using Amy's memories._

"Something's using Amy, using her memories," Jenny relayed.

"_But how?"_

"Has anything else been there, River? Where you are, has anything else been there?"

"_Yes, there's burn marks on the grass outside, landing patterns."_

_If they've been into her house, Jen..._

"If they've been into her house, they could have used psychic residue. Structures can hold memories, that's why houses have ghosts, so they might have taken a snapshot of her memories, but why...?"

"_More importantly, who are those Romans?"_

"Projections, duplicates..."

"_But they were helping us. My lipstick even worked."_

The Doctor finally stood up and walked over.

"They might think they're real," he said quietly. "The perfect disguise. They actually believe they're own cover story, right up until they're activated."

"_But Doctor, that Centurion..." _Jenny glanced back towards the doorway where Rory had gone. _"They used Amy to construct a scenario you'd believe, to get close to you."_

"But why?" the Doctor demanded. "Who'd do that? What for? It doesn't make sense!"

Jenny flinched at the sound of groaning metal and protesting noises from the TARDIS engine through the communicator. "River, what's happening?"

"_I don't know!" _River shouted. _"It's the engines. Doctor, there's something wrong with the TARDIS, like something else in controlling it."_

"You're flying it wrong!" he responded.

"_I'm flying it perfectly! I learned from the best!"_

"Where are you?" Jenny asked quickly. "What's the date reading?"

"_It's the... 26th June, 2010."_

They froze.

"You need to get out of there _now!_" the Doctor shouted. "Any other time zone, just go."

More noises from the TARDIS. _"I can't break free!"_

"Then shut it down!" Jenny tried. "Shut down everything!"

"_I can't!" _There was a burst of static. _"Something else is flying it, some external force. I've lost control."_

"But how?" he asked. "Why?"

Jenny took a deep breath. "Okay, listen... um, just land her anywhere. Emergency landing, now. There are cracks in time, I've seen them everywhere, and they're getting wider. They're caused by the TARDIS exploding, but we can stop the cracks ever happening if you just land! Hurry!"

"_It's not safe."_

They weren't listening then. The Pandorica had finally gone silent, splitting down the nearest corner and letting a bright light spill out. Jenny slowly lowered the communicator.

"Well then," she said nervously. "Ready to come out, are we?"

"_Doctor, Jenny, I'm down." _River's voice jarred them back to reality. _"I've landed."_

"Okay, just walk out of the doors," the Doctor instructed. "If there's no one inside, the TARDIS engines will shut down. Just get out of there!"

"_I'm going."_

"Run!"

Together, they slowly began to walk towards the box, light still too bright to let them see inside. Jenny set the communicator down by the base and pulled out her sonic, but the Doctor sucked in a breath of alarm at River's next words.

"_Doctor! Doctor! I can't open the doors!"_

They turned toward the device once more, only to see the Roman soldiers advancing on them.

"_Doctor, I can't open the doors! Please, I've got seconds!"_

Two Romans grabbed the Doctor by the arms and kept him still, dragging him away from the Pandorica. It took four to drag Jenny to the chains on the other side of the room and hold her in place while a fifth actually chained her to the wall.

"Plastic Romans," the Doctor was saying, doing anything to stall for time. "Duplicates, driven by the Nestene Consciousness, eh? Deep cover, but what for? What are you doing? What's in there, hm? What's coming out?"

The Nestenes finally stopped, although the way they were holding the Doctor, his back was to the Pandorica.

"_You have been scanned. Assessed. Understood, Doctor."_

Slowly, he turned his head to look over his shoulder, gaze landing on the white Dalek. Dalek Supreme. Moments later, the red Dalek and the yellow Dalek materialized beside it. The Nestenes turned him so he could face them.

"Scanned?" he repeated. "Scanned by what?"

"_Your limits and capacities have been extrapolated."_

Three Cybermen appeared, followed shortly by Judoon and Sontarans.

"The Pandorica is ready!" one Sontaran announnced.

"Ready for what?" Jenny spat.

The Dalek slowly turned to face her, even as dozens more species appeared around the room, all of them radiating nothing but fury.

"_Ready for him, and ready for you to watch in silence."_

The walls of the Pandorica finally stopped moving, the light finally faded.

Amidst the technology and the lights and the walls of the box was a chair and restraints.

The Doctor instantly started struggling, trying to pull away, Jenny yanked on the chains keeping her back, but both to no avail. Almost a dozen weapons were aimed at the Time Lady within a heartsbeat (and one of them picked her sonic screwdriver off the floor and snapped it in half), and the Nestenes continued their slow, relentless walk towards the Pandorica, the Doctor being dragged along behind. Nobody made any sound as his feet scuffed against the floor, the only closed the gap behind him and moved forward, watching in silence as he was finally forced into the chair. A thick metal yoke came down over his shoulders, clamps slid over his wrists and ankles.

_I can't do anything, Dad!_

_It's okay. Jen, listen to me, it's okay._

_Dad-_

_It's okay. I promise you, Jenny, it's going to be going._

"You lot, working together, an alliance..." He shook his head weakly. "How is that possible?"

"_The cracks in the skin of the universe," _Dalek Supreme stated.

"All reality is threatened," a Sontaran agreed.

"_All universes will be deleted."_ The Cyberman nodded its agreement.

"What? And you've come to us for help?"

"No." The Sontaran looked both amused and disgusted. "We will save the universe from you!"

"From... me?"

"_All projections correlate. All evidence concurs. The Doctor will destroy the universe."_

"No, no, no, you've got it all wrong-"

"_The Pandorica was constructed to ensure the safety of the alliance."_

"_A scenario was devised from the memories of your companions._" Now the Dalek sounded smug.

"A trap the Doctor could not resist!"

"_The cracks in time are the work of the Doctor. It is confirmed."_

"No, no! Not me, the TARDIS! And I'm not in the TARDIS, am I?"

"_Only the Doctor can pilot the TARDIS. You will be prevented."_

He shook his head frantically. "Total event collapse!" he shouted, practically sobbing. "Every sun will supernova at _every _moment in history. The whole universe will never have existed! Please, listen to me!"

"_Seal the Pandorica," _the Cyberman said coldly.

Jenny struggled against the restraints holding her back but one Dalek turned to glare at her - could Daleks glare? They had to be able to, no light in an eyestalk could look that horrible - and its weapon twitched minutely in her direction. She froze, but her eyes were wide in panic and fury.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, begging them. "Please, listen to me!" The walls to the Pandorica began to seal themselves shut, light slowly fading. "The TARDIS is exploding and I'm the only one who can stop it. _Listen__to__me__!"_

The doors slammed shut, the room went dark. It was that odd sort of resounding silence that pressed down around everything and rang in ones ears so loudly it drowned out all other noise. Horrible, noiseless sound, both here and in her mind.

Despairingly, Jenny turned her eyes to the shaft of light coming from the entry to the underhenge, but instead of hope it only brought crushing loss.

Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out.


	25. The Big Bang

**So... a couple of you **_**did **_**come close to getting that reference, but not quite! It's a quote from Arthur C. Clarke's 'The Nine Billion Names of God' that I used as the very last line. You should go and check it out, it's short and really easy to find online. **

**So. Yeah. Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Rory was leaning back against the log, tears in his eyes and sniffling slightly as Amy's body laying limply across his lap.

"So, the universe ended," he said weakly. "You missed that. In 102 AD... I suppose this means you and I never get born at all." He gave a strained smile. "Twice, in my case. You would have laughed at that. ..._Please_, laugh! The Doctor and Jenny said that the universe was huge and ridiculous, and that sometimes... sometimes there are miracles." He looked down at her still features. "I could do with a ridiculous miracle right now."

With a crackle of light and electricity, the Doctor appeared wearing a fez and a mop. Jenny was absent, but if one took into consideration the large grin on his face, it was clear she wasn't dead.

"Rory!" he exclaimed. "Listen, she's not dead. Well, she _is _dead, but it's not the end of the world. Well, it technically _is _the end of the world. Actually, it's the end of the universe... oh, never mind, Jenny can explain this better than I can!"

And again he vanished. Rory stared, not entirely sure if he was seeing things or not. "Doctor? Doctor!"

The air in front of him crackled with electricity once more, and Jenny took the Doctor's place, waving, also wearing a fez on her head. "Ignore most of what Dad said. Listen, you need to get the Doctor out of the Pandorica and me unchained from the wall."

"But you're not chained to the wall," he pointed out. "And the Doctor wasn't in the Pandorica."

"We are now!" she corrected him. "Oh, no that was bad... Um... right _now_, at this moment in time, from your point of view, I am chained to a wall and my dad is trapped inside Pandorica. But from my point of view, from the future, we aren't. We've already gotten out..." Rory shook his head, still confused. "Never mind! It's time travel, don't think about it too much or you'll make your head explode. And... Dad!" She tapped out a few buttons on the band around her wrist and vanished, reappearing moments later with the Doctor at her side, although this time the Doctor had the band around _his_ wrist. The Time Lord pulled out his sonic screwdriver and tossed it to Rory.

"It's easy to open from the outside," he explained. "Just point and press!"

"They trashed mine," Jenny nodded towards Stonehenge. "Now, go on!"

The Doctor vanished, leaving Jenny glaring impatiently at the spot where he had just been standing. When he appeared a moment later, it was to look towards Rory.

"And when you're done-" he started, but Jenny pointedly cleared her throat. The Doctor paused, cringing slightly.

"Sorry, Jen."

"I won't have you leaving me two thousand years in the past!"

"Don't worry, I'll come back."

"Good."

"And as I was saying, when you're done, leave the screwdriver in her top pocket. Good luck!"

The two of them disappeared for good this time, leaving a bewildered Rory sitting against a log in a silent, starless clearing.

"What do you mean?" he shouted to the empty air. "Done what?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When he got to the underhenge, it was to see a room full of statues and over on the far wall, behind three frozen Daleks, shaking, was Jenny.

"Jenny!" he shouted, rushing over. The keys to the chains keeping her down were lying next to a Roman on the opposite side of the room, so he grabbed them on the way and quickly freed her. "Jenny-"

"I can't _hear _him," she whispered, latching onto his wrist like an anchor. "I can't hear him, Rory, it's that _thing_, I can't hear him..."

He pulled them both to their feet and walked to the front of the Pandorica. Sonic in hand, the box was easy to open, just like the future Time Lords had told him. When the light faded and all of the clamps had retracted into the chair inside the box, Jenny practically flung herself into her father's arms. Instinctively he hugged her, although he was staring at Rory, stunned.

"How did you do that?" he asked after a pause, running a hand over his daughter's head.

He remembered what it had been like when he had woken up after the War to the ringing silence in his head. It had been all-encompassing, burning, _silent _pain, no voices in his head, the sudden loss of everything he had ever known. Jenny had never seen Gallifrey, never seen the red grass and the silver trees, all she ever had was _him_ and presumably, inside the Pandorica, she couldn't hear him. Inside that box, for him, it was sort of like a haze, a single blink of an eye that had lasted an eternity. Less than a blink cut away from her, but she had lost her entire world for who knew how long, and soldier or not...

_It's okay, Jen. I'm here now._

_I couldn't hear you-_

_It's okay. It's all going to be okay._

"You gave me this." Rory held up the screwdriver.

The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "No I didn't."

"You did, though. Look at it."

Jenny pulled back enough to take the sonic from each of them and hold them together for a moment. The metal sparked upon contact.

"Temporal energy," she said, straightening. "Same screwdriver at different points in it's own timestream, so it was definitely us that gave it to you in the future."

"Me in the future." The Doctor got to his feet at her side. "You in the future. We've got a future, that's nice." He frowned, looking over Rory's shoulder, seeing the petrified remains of their enemies scattered about the room. "That's not."

"Yeah." Rory glanced back at the statues. "What are they?"

"History has collapsed." The three started wandering through the room. "Whole races have been deleted from existence. These are just like after-images. Echoes, fossils in time... the footprints of the never-were."

"And that means...?"

"Total event collapse," Jenny elaborated. "The universe literally never happened."

"So how can we be here? What's keeping us safe?"

"Nothing!" the Doctor said brightly. "Eye of the storm, that's all. We're just the last light to go out..."

_Dad._

_Yes?_

_We have Rory._

_I fail to see how that's a problem._

_We have Rory, River is stuck in the TARDIS, you and I are here..._

"Amy," he said suddenly, turning to face Rory. "Where's Amy?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Rory had led them out of the underhenge and up to ground level, Jenny letting out a low sigh at the blanket covering what had to be a body. _Rory..._

"I killed her," he said weakly as the Doctor pulled back the blanket to show Amy's still face.

"Oh, Rory!" The Time Lord's voice was quiet, almost disappointed, but there was no anger. Jenny did her best to keep a blank expression as her father continued to talk, knowing exactly what he was doing. That didn't mean she had to like it, however, and she didn't. She didn't want to lie to Rory like this, but it wouldn't take very long, and if they didn't get the reaction they needed then there wouldn't be a reason to feel guilty to begin with.

"Doctor, what am I?" Rory looked so out of place dressed in full Roman armor.

"You're a Nestene duplicate," came the prompt, dismissive reply as the Doctor scanned Amy with the sonic. "A lump of plastic with delusions of humanity."

"But I'm Rory now!" Rory shook his head. "Whatever was happening, it's stopped. I'm Rory!"

"That's software talking."

The Doctor didn't look up when he spoke, which seemed to infuriate Rory to no end, but the Roman somehow held his tongue as he looked back towards Amy. "Can you help her?" he asked them. "Is there anything you can do?"

"Yeah, probably, if I had the time." The Doctor shrugged, getting to his feet.

Still silent, Jenny cringed slightly at the callous remark. She knew this would be the quickest way to determine whether or not Rory was actually Rory, but software or no, her father was liable to get punched in the face for that. Possible twice. ...Probably twice.

"The _time_?"

"All of creation has just been wiped from the sky," her father scoffed, and there was a moment when she felt her father's acting was going a bit too far. He was walking away from Rory, whose anger was increasing by the second, looking up at the starless sky and totally ignoring the body of their friend lying on the ground. "Do you know how many lives never happened? All the people who _never _lived? Your _girlfriend _isn't more important than the whole universe."

And that would be the final straw. Jenny flinched slightly as Rory grabbed the Doctor by the shoulder when he continued to saunter away, throwing a punch that hit squarely on the jaw and sent the Time Lord toppling to the ground. The faintest bit of phantom pain floated through their link, but she ignored it. Her father deserved that, at any rate.

"_She is to me!"_

Rory's shout was, if possible, more furious than she had expected.

A pause, and then the Doctor bounced to his feet, grinning like an idiot. "Welcome back, Rory Williams!" he laughed, spinning back around and hurrying over to Amy's side. "Sorry, had to be sure. Hell of a gun-arm you're packing there! Right, we need to get her downstairs. Oh, and take that look off your plastic face, you're getting married in the morning!"

He scooped Amy into his arms and disappeared down into the underhenge without another word. Jenny sighed, walked over, and patted her friend's arm gently.

"Sorry about him," she apologized. "Least amount of tact, but quickest way to check if the programming was still active."

Rory was staring in the direction the Doctor had left in. "I just punched the Doctor."

"Yep," she agreed, smiling.

"I just punched your _father_-"

"Are you two coming or not?!"

The shout echoed up to them. Jenny rolled her eyes. "Coming, Father!" Seeing as Rory was still rather stunned, she grabbed him by the hand and pulled him along. Down in the underhenge, the Doctor had gotten Amy so she was sitting in the Pandorica, the various clamps being the only things keeping her from slumping forwards onto the ground.

"So, you've got a plan then?" Rory asked, looking at Jenny, knowing the Doctor was probably just making everything up as he went along. Jenny, at least, would have some semblance of an idea of what they were going to do next.

"Yeah," she replied before the Doctor could open his mouth. He shot her a mock-wounded look before they both broke into smiles. "As much as a plan can be a plan in this situation. Memories are more powerful than you think, and Amy Pond is not an ordinary girl. Her memories brought you back after you were literally erased from time."

"The Nestenes took a memory print of her and got more than they bargained for," the Doctor continued. "Like you. Not just your _face_, but your _heart _and _soul_." He shut the last of the clamps and pressed his hands to either side of Amy's face, closing his eyes.

"He's leaving a message for when she wakes up," Jenny explained. "So she knows what's happening."

About a minute or so later the Doctor opened his eyes, took a couple steps back, and used the sonic to close the Pandorica. Jenny glanced over with a sigh at the broken remains of her own sonic lying on the floor.

Rory was more focused on the fact they were locking his fiancee into the Pandorica. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing?"

"Saving her," he replied as the Pandorica was sealed shut and the light in the room significantly dimmed. "This is the ultimate prison, you can't even escape by _dying_. It literally forces you to stay alive."

"But she's already dead-"

"_Mostly_ dead," they corrected at the same time.

"The Pandorica can stasis-lock her that way-"

"-all it needs is a scan of her living DNA and it'll restore her."

They'd missed that familiar banter.

"Where's it going to get that?"

He paused, looking at his watch with a slight frown. "In about... two thousand years."

Rory frowned, looking between the Doctor, who was now rummaging through River's bag until he found her Vortex Manipulator, and the Pandorica before his eyes widened. "She's going to be in there for _two thousand years_?" he exclaimed.

"We're taking a shortcut," Jenny nodded. "River's Vortex Manipulator, rubbish way to time travel but the universe is a lot smaller now so we should be fine. Future's still there, although not quite the one we remember."

"Earth alone in the sky..." the Doctor sighed. "Let's go and have a look!" He held out his arm, where the device was now strapped around his wrist. "You put your hand there, you too Jen, we'll be perfectly safe."

"That's not what I'm worried about." Rory was still looking at the Pandorica, and the Doctor walked to his side.

"She'll be fine," he assured the other man. "Nothing can get into this box."

"_You_ got in there."

"Well, there's only one of me," he shrugged. "I counted."

Rory still didn't seem convinced. "This box needs a guard... I killed the last one."

The Doctor stiffened. "No. Rory, _no_, don't even think about it-"

"She'll be all _alone_-"

"She won't feel it-"

"You bet she won't!"

"Two thousand years, Rory... You won't even sleep, you'd be conscious _every second_-"

"Dad." Jenny placed a hand on her father's arm, shaking her head. "If it was you in there, I'd wait. If it was me in there, you'd wait."

He floundered for a moment, but paused, realizing that she was... well, right. If it was Jenny in that box he would almost definitely send Rory on ahead into the future while he waited here, and based on what Jenny said, she would stand there and wait for him if he was trapped inside the box as well. Still... with a last look he turned to Rory, only to be met with a scared yet determined stare.

"Will she be safer if I stay?" Rory asked, voice remarkably steady. He knew the answer, but he didn't want to- "Look me in the eye and tell me she wouldn't be safer. Answer me, Doctor!"

"Yes," he sighed. "Obviously."

Rory looked to the box. "Then how could I leave her?"

"I'm proud of you, Rory," Jenny said, walking over to her father and taking his arm, tapping in coordinates on the device wrapped around his wrist, knowing that if her father did it they might overshoot by a few decades. "We both are. See you in two thousand years?"

"Promise," the other man nodded.

"Listen," the Doctor said as Jenny continued to tap. "This is the last bit of advice you're going to get in a very long time. You're living plastic, but not immortal, or indestructible. I've got no idea how long you'll last. Stay away from heat and radio signals when they come along." Rory nodded, putting on his helmet. "You can't heal or repair yourself, so any damage is permanent. And for God's sake, however bored you get, stay out of-!"

With a flash and a crackle of electricity, the two of them vanished, leaving the chamber in silence. Alone, Rory pulled his sword out of its sheath and began his long, long vigil.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They reappeared in front of a Dalek screaming _"Exterminate!"_.

"-trouble." The Doctor looked over at Jenny. "I was in the middle of a sentence!"

"I hit the wrong button! Now, can we pay more attention to the Dalek?"

"_Exterminate!"_

They spun around to find Amy and young Amelia standing behind them looking absolutely terrified and more than a bit confused.

"Two of you?" Jenny said in surprise. "Complicated."

"_Exterminate! Weapons systems restoring."_

The Doctor grabbed Amy by the hand while Jenny pulled Amelia alongside her out of the room. "Come along, Ponds!" they shouted, running.

"_Exterminate!"_

They skidded to a halt in the room where the Pandorica remained open, the Doctor crashing into a display representing somewhere in Africa. He nearly knocked over one of the mannequins, catching the fez and it fell off its head.

"What are we doing?" Amy asked breathlessly.

"Running into a dead end where I'll have a brilliant idea that basically involves not being in one," the Doctor replied. Jenny rolled her eyes.

"What's going on?"

Nobody answered. They ran behind the Pandorica, pressing their backs up against it as a night watchman wandered in, holding a torch.

Behind them, the Dalek wheeled in front of the watchman who hadn't quite finished entering the room yet. _"Drop the device."_

"It's not a weapon!" Jenny shouted on impulse, trying to distract the Dalek and give the human guard enough time to escape. "Scan it, it's not a weapon, and you don't have the power to waste!"

The Dalek didn't even hesitate. _"Scans indicate intruder unarmed."_

"Do you think?"

Jenny's hearts skipped a beat. That _voice-_

The flashlight in the guard's hand clattered to the ground, and a moment later there was a blast and the Dalek skidded backwards a few inches.

"_Vision impaired!" _it groaned out. _"Vision..."_

And Rory stepped out of the shadows.

"Rory!" Amy's relief was almost palatable as they ran through the hallway, out of the Pandorica room and past the Dalek where the two wrapped each other in a massive hug.

"I'm sorry," Rory was mumbling. "I'm sorry- I couldn't help it. It just happened."

Amy pulled back slightly. "Oh, shut up."

The Doctor frowned impatiently as the couple started to kiss. "Yeah, shut up, 'cause we've got to go. Come on!"

This time it was Rory that pulled back, looking as though he couldn't quite believe Amy was here, in front of him. "I waited," he breathed. "Two thousand years, I waited for you."

Amy shook her head. "No, still shut up."

And they kissed again... and continued to kiss...

Amelia looked up at Jenny, who only shrugged. "I'm thirsty," the young girl said as the Doctor tried to convince the two to break apart. "Can I get a drink?"

"Oh, all mouths today," the Doctor mumbled under his breath, but Jenny only took the Vortex Manipulator off of his wrist and vanished, reappearing a couple seconds later with a plastic cup and straw that Amelia had been drinking from earlier in the day.

The Doctor snatched the Vortex Manipulator back and took the fez as well, dropping it onto his head.

_The light from the Pandorica healed the Dalek,_ he told her as they looked back towards the petrified creature.

_Interesting._

He voiced his thoughts aloud, but nobody seemed to notice as at that moment, the Dalek's weapon twitched.

"Out!" the Doctor shouted, shoving Amy and Rory in front of them before taking Amelia by the hand. "Out, out!"

They ran into another wing and slammed the doors shut, the Doctor sonicking the lock for good measure.

"So, two thousand years?" Jenny asked lightly. "How'd you do?"

"Kept out of trouble," Rory replied in that same awkward manner she remembered so fondly, but there was... something else there. Weariness. Age. True, he was still plastic, but she knew what pain looked like on immortal features.

"How'd you manage that?" the Doctor called over.

"Unsuccessfully."

Jenny let out a slight laugh. "It's good to see you again, Rory."

"You too, Jen."

The Doctor picked up a mop, going to use it to block the door, but Rory started suddenly, pointing.

"The mop!" he exclaimed, causing the group to send him an odd look. "...That's how you looked all those years ago when you gave me the sonic."

"Ah!" The Time Lord smiled. "Well, no time to lose then."

He activated the manipulator and vanished...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

...reappearing in front of Rory, two thousand years ago. ""Rory!" he exclaimed. "Listen, she's not dead. Well, she _is _dead, but it's not the end of the world. Well, it technically _is _the end of the world. Actually, it's the end of the universe... oh, never mind, Jenny can explain this better than I can!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Back in the museum hallway, he took off the fez, dropped it on his daughter's head, then handed her the Vortex Manipulator as he went to bar the door with the mop.

"Explain time travel to Rory, would you?" he called over his shoulder. "And give him the sonic so I can get out of the Pandorica!" Jenny let out an exasperated noise, but tapped in the coordinates nonetheless and vanished.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jenny appeared in front of Rory, waving. "Ignore most of what Dad said. Listen, you need to get the Doctor out of the Pandorica and me unchained from the wall."

"But you aren't chained to the wall."

"We are now!" she corrected him. "Oh, no that was bad... Um... right _now_, at this moment in time, from your point of view, I am chained to a wall and my dad is trapped inside Pandorica. But from my point of view, from the future, we aren't. We've already gotten out..." Rory shook his head, still confused. "Never mind! It's time travel, don't think about it too much or you'll make your head explode. And... Dad!" She tapped out a few buttons on the band around her wrist and vanished.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"How do you expect me to explain time travel like that!" she asked, looking at her father. "More importantly, _you're _the one with the sonic screwdriver!"

She grabbed him by the arm and the two vanished, leaving Amy and Rory shaking their heads in bemusement and Amelia staring in wonder.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Time Lord pulled out the sonic and tossed it to Rory.

"It's easy to open from the outside," he explained. "Just point and press!"

"They trashed mine," Jenny nodded towards Stonehenge. "Now, go on!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Appearing again, they started off towards the stairwell, but the Doctor stopped abruptly. "Wait! Now I don't have the sonic, I just gave it to Rory two thousand years ago."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor vanished, leaving Jenny glaring impatiently at the spot where he had just been standing. When he appeared a moment later, it was to look towards Rory.

"And when you're done-" he started, but Jenny pointedly cleared her throat. The Doctor paused, cringing slightly.

"Sorry, Jen."

"I won't have you leaving me two thousand years in the past!"

"Don't worry, I'll come back."

"Good."

"And as I was saying, when you're done, leave the screwdriver in her top pocket. Good luck!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

No longer missing anyone in their group and sonic screwdriver in hand, they started back up the stairs once more...

"No, hang on." Jenny paused, looking over at Amelia. "How did you know to come here?"

Amelia just reached into her coat and pulled out a crumpled pamphlet along with a sticky note. Short messages were scrawled out on each in a red pen.

"Ah!" The Doctor clapped his hands together. "My handwriting. Okay!" He rushed over to a stand, grabbing a pamphlet, then over to a desk for the sticky note. A moment later, when the actual notes had been written out, he used the Vortex Manipulator to deliver the messages, one to Amy's house, then to the museum in order to place the note on the Pandorica.

"What is that?" Amy finally asked, motioning towards the black band. "How are you two doing that?"

"Vortex Manipulator," Jenny explained. "Cheap time travel, nasty habit, not very good for you."

"And where are we going?" she continued to ask questions as they continued to walk.

"The roof-"

Jenny was about to answer the question when, at the top of the stairs, with a familiar crackle of light and electricity... her father appeared. Jacket smoking, the Doctor lurched forwards, toppling down the stairs and rolling to a stop near their feet. The two Time Lords from the present ran over, Jenny taking the future Doctor's hand while the current Doctor waved the sonic over him.

"Doctor, it's you..." Rory stated in disbelief. "How can it be you?"

Amy was a bit more wary, nervous. "Doctor, is that you?"

"Yeah," he said after a long pause, looking down at his own motionless face. "It's me. Me from the future..."

The future Doctor's fingers twitched slightly in Jenny's hand, his eyes flew open with a start and he pulled the present Doctor closer to him to whisper something in his ear before falling back to the ground. His hands went limp, and Jenny sat back on her heels, expression blank.

"Are you..." Amy started, sounding like she didn't know whether or not she wanted to continue. "I mean, is he... is he dead?"

"Hm?" Slightly distracted, the Doctor got to his feet and pulled Jenny after him. "Dead? Yes, yes, of course he's dead." Together they stepped over the body and continued climbing up the stairs. "Right, I've got twelve minutes, that's good."

"Twelve minutes to _live_?" Amy repeated. "How is that good?"

"Oh, you can do loads in twelve minutes..." Jenny shrugged, not looking back. "Suck a mint, buy a sledge, take a quick bath, or a normal shower. Come on, roof!"

"We can't leave you here, dead!"

This from Rory, and the Doctor spun around to look at him. "Oh, good!" he said brightly, although the tone was faked. "Are you in charge now? So, tell me, what are we going to do about Amelia?"

They'd notice her vanish when the future Doctor landed on the stairs, one moment she was there, and then they blinked and she was gone. There wasn't anything they could do about it, really, history collapsing like it was.

Rory turned to see Amelia's cup lying on the ground.

"Where did she go?" Amy and Rory rushed down the stairs, looking around.

"Amelia?" Rory called.

"There is no Amelia!" the Doctor shouted after them. "From now on, there never was. History is still collapsing."

"But how can _I _be here if she's not?" Amy walked back up the stairs.

"You're an anomaly," Jenny explained. "We all are, now, although I was before... never mind that. The point is, we're all hanging on at the eye of the storm, but the eye is closing, and if we don't do something, reality will never have happened. Today, just _dying _will be a result. Now, come on!"

They ran up the stairs, Amy and Rory staying behind a few moments longer to drape Rory's security guard uniform jacket over the Doctor as sort of a shroud before following.

Behind them, in the Pandorica room, the Dalek began to move.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The four climbed out from the stairwell onto the roof, squinting in the sunlight.

"What, it's morning already?" Amy looked around, raising a hand to shield her eyes. "How did that happen?"

"History is shrinking! Is anybody listening to me?"

"Nope." Jenny smirked at his offended look. "The universe is collapsing. We don't have much time left, now."

The Doctor waved the sonic around the base of a satellite dish mounted higher up on the rooftop.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked him.

"Looking for the TARDIS," he answered. Jenny turned her gaze to the massive ball of flames hanging above the horizon, knowing exactly what it was even without the satellite dish.

"But the TARDIS exploded," Rory pointed out.

"Okay, then. Looking for an exploding TARDIS." He managed to wrestle the dish down from where it was mounted and climbed up over to a different section of raised roof. "Now, as to _why _the TARDIS exploded, that's a question for another day, but for now... total event collapse means that every star in the universe never happened. Not one of them ever shone."

"So, if all the stars are gone..." Jenny paused as the Doctor lifted up the dish and sonicked it. "...then what is that? Like he said, looking for an exploding TARDIS."

Rory frowned. "But that's the sun."

"Is it?" The Doctor reached a hand over so he could pull Jenny up to stand next to him, partly so she could help him balance the dish and partly for comfort. "Because that's the noise this sun is making right now!"

A moment later, the sounds of the TARDIS engines began to echo out from the dish.

"That's our TARDIS burning up," Jenny said quietly, looking at the ball of fire. "That's what's been keeping the Earth warm."

"Doctor..." Rory frowned, lifting a hand up slightly. "There's something else. A voice."

The Doctor handed Jenny the sonic while Amy looked over in confusion.

"I can't hear anything," she said.

"Trust the plastic."

"_I'm sorry my love."_

The voice caused the Doctor to grip Jenny's hand tightly.

"_I'm sorry my love. I'm sorry my love. I'm sorry my love."_

"Doctor, that's River," Amy said, staring.

"Is it a recording?" Rory asked them.

"_I'm sorry my love."_

"No." Jenny sighed, shaking her head. "She was trying to land the TARDIS, but it exploded before she could get out. But that's the smartest ship in the universe, she's sealed off the control room and locked River inside, put her in a time loop."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Frantically, River ran back to the doors in vain, finding nothing but stone behind them-

The sequence started again, but this time, she rain towards the doors and nearly crashed into Jenny.

"Hi, River," she smiled. "I'm home."

River stopped and glanced down at her watch. "And what sort of a time do you call this, Jen? You've got a curfew!"

Jenny just laughed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They reappeared on the rooftop under the light of the imitator star.

"Amy!" River said happily, relieved at the sight of one of their companions. "Hello, sweetie." This, accompanied by a wink towards the Doctor. "And... the plastic Centurion?"

"It's okay," Jenny assured her, unstrapping the Vortex Manipulator from her wrist and tossing it back to her father. "Rory's on our side."

"Really?" River's smile grew wider, sensing an opportunity to rile up the Doctor. "I dated a Nestene duplicate once. Swappable head, did keep things fresh." Jenny snickered. "Right then, I have questions. But number one is this..."

She turned on her heel to look at the Doctor. "What in the _name of sanity_ have you got on your head?"

The Doctor glanced upwards and the hat resembling an overturned bucket. "It's a fez," he replied. "I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool."

A beat of silence in which River glanced between Amy and Jenny.

"Dad!" Jenny shouted frantically, causing him to spin around in alarm. While his back was turned, Amy ran up and snatched the fez off of his head, throwing it high up into the air, and without blinking River removed her blaster from its holster and shot it midair, grinning as it exploded into scraps of tattered fabric.

"Oi! No gaining up on me!"

The Doctor's protests were cut short at a familiar cry. _"Exterminate!"_

All cheerfulness vanished from their minds as the Dalek slowly levitated up over the side of the building.

"Run, run, move, move," the Doctor urged, shoving his friends behind him, back to the stairwell. Jenny grabbed the satellite dish and used it as a shield to block the Dalek's fire as the two Time Lords backed away, nearly diving down the stairwell and slamming the door shut behind them, sonicking the lock shut for good measure.

"Doctor, come on-" River started, but the Doctor shushed her, listening carefully.

"It's moving away," he said after a few moments of silence. "Finding another way in."

"Needs to restore it's power," Jenny added. "If it were at full power that dish-" She pointed at the smoking dish lying on the floor. "-wouldn't have been any good as protection. It's got to restore power before it can attack again."

"Now, that means we've got exactly..." The Doctor paused as he checked his watch. "...four and a half minutes until it's at lethal capacity!"

"How do you know?" River asked, and Jenny paused, realizing she had missed all the events up until now. She didn't know Amy had been in the Pandorica, never saw young Amelia, didn't know how long Rory had waited or that the stars had all vanished... didn't see her father on the staircase.

"Because that's when its due to kill me."

He said it with next to no worry in his voice, worrying River even more. "Kill you?" she repeated. "What do you mean, _kill _you?"

"Oh, shut up, never mind!" he groaned, rushing out the hallway and down the next set of stairs into a hallway back in the museum. "How can that Dalek even exist? It was erased from time and then it came back. _How_, Jen?"

"Why should I know?" she repeated. "But you did say that the light from the Pandorica-"

"It's not a light, it's a restoration field, Jenny! I've taught you better than that."

"You said it was a light!"

"No, I didn't!"

"_Yes_, you did."

"...Don't you know to take everything I say with a grain of salt?"

"The light from the Pandorica?" Rory prompted, cutting into their miniature debate.

"Yes." Jenny nodded. "It brought Amy back, and it brought the Dalek back too even though the Daleks never existed..."

"When the TARIS blew up, it caused a total event collapse!" the Doctor continued, growing more excited now that they had figured it out. "A time explosion, it blasted away every atom in every moment of the universe-"

"-except the ones inside the Pandorica!" they exclaimed together.

"The perfect prison," Jenny continued, talking faster now. "Inside it, perfectly preserved, a few billion atoms of the universe as it was. In theory, you could extrapolate the whole universe from a single one of them, like cloning a body from a single cell, and we've got the bumper family pack!"

Rory looked between the two of them. "Nope. Too fast, I'm not getting it."

The Doctor gave him a look clearly saying _silly human._ "The box contains a memory of the universe, and the light transmits the memory," he explained in simpler terms, although it still didn't make as much sense. "And that's how we're going to do it."

"Relight the fire," Jenny agreed. "Reboot the universe. Come on!"

Amy and Rory stopped, sharing an incredulous look at River hurried forward to catch up with the two.

"Doctor, Jen, you're being completely _ridiculous,_" she told them. "The Pandorica _partially _restored_ one _Dalek. If it can't even reboot a single life form properly, how will it reboot the whole universe?"

"What if we give it a moment of infinite power?" Jenny countered, rather pleased at the shortening of her name. "Transmit the light from the Pandorica to every particle of space and time simultaneously?"

River sighed. "Well, that _would _be lovely, dears, but we can't, because it's _completely impossible_!"

"But it isn't!" The Doctor turned around, grinning, and tapped River's forehead lightly. "It's _almost_ completely impossible. One spark is all we need."

"For what?"

"Big Bang Two!" he grinned. "Now, listen-"

Jenny's eyes widened, but she was too slow to shove her father out of the way as the Dalek began barreling down the hallway, bolt of energy from its gun catching the Doctor in the shoulder as he toppled to the ground. River and Jenny dropped to their knees by his side while Amy dragged Rory out of the way.

"Get back, River, Jenny, get back now!" he shouted to them, but they payed no attention.

"Dad!" Jenny whispered, clutching at his hand, a wave of pain burning through her. "Come on, Dad, look at me."

"Doctor," River urged, not even flinching as Rory fired over their heads, causing the Dalek to power down again. "Doctor, it's me, River. Can you hear me? Doctor, what is it? What do you need?"

He didn't reply, just barely managing to press a button on the Vortex Manipulator and vanished with a flash. River jumped back, starting.

"Where did he go?" she gasped. "Damn it, he could be anywhere!"

"Downstairs," Amy choked out. "Twelve minutes ago."

"Show me!" River demanded, getting to her feet, Jenny slowly following.

"River..." Amy blinked back tears. "He died."

Behind them, the Dalek began to power up its systems yet again. _"Systems restoring! You will be exterminated!"_

"We got to move," Rory said, taking a reluctant Amy by the arm. "That thing's coming back to life."

River looked more furious than any of them had ever seen her, but without a word she handed something to Jenny and pulled the two Ponds from the room. "You catch up with us," were her parting words.

"_You will be exterminated!" _the Dalek cried.

Jenny smiled.

"Not yet," she corrected lightly. "Not yet. Your systems are still restoring, which means your shield density is compromised."

A glance down at the gun in her hand told her everything she needed to know.

"One Alpha-Mezon burst through your eyestalk would kill you stone dead."

"_Records indicate you will show mercy," _the Dalek replied smugly. _"You are an associate of the Doctor's!"_

"I'm Jenny, I'm the Doctor's daughter, and _you _just killed my father!" she said in barely restrained fury at it, aiming the gun. "_Check your records again!_"

"_Mercy."_

Well, that was new. Although, if she was right about what she thought...

"Say it again."

"_Mercy!"_

"One more time."

"_**Mercy!"**_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Rory's jacket was still lying on the stairs where they had left it with her father, although the body was missing. Of course it was missing, she knew he was still alive, of _course _she knew.

"-but he was dead!" Amy was saying.

"And who told you that?" River asked.

"He did," Rory answered.

"Rule One." Jenny calmly walked down the stairs, handing River the gun back. "Dad lies."

They all watched as she walked past them towards the Pandorica room. "But what happened to the Dalek?" Amy called after her.

"It _died_."

She pushed past them, leaving a pair of stunned humans in her wake. Even River seemed a bit taken aback, although not as much. None of them dared to breath a word lest they get snapped at, even when they rushed into the Pandorica room to find the Doctor slumped over in the seat inside the box.

"You're an idiot," Jenny mumbled, looking down at him strapped into the chair.

"What's happening?" Rory asked River.

"Reality's collapsing," she explained quietly. "It's speeding up, look at the room." Around them, the display cases were completely empty. "History is being erased. Time is running out... Doctor, what were you doing?"

Breathing raggedly, the Doctor's eyes flickered open, and he looked up towards River. "Big... bang... two."

"The Big Bang..." Rory's brow furrowed in though. "That's the beginning of the universe, right?"

"What, and Big Bang Two is the bang that brings it back?" Amy asked. "Is that what you mean?"

"Yeah," Jenny answered as her father's head slumped to one side. "The TARDIS is still burning, think about it. It's exploding at every point and history. Throw the Pandorica into the explosion, right into the heart of the fire..."

"Oh!" River's eyes widened in realization. "Then let there be light! The light from the Pandorica would explode everywhere at once, just like he said."

"That would work?" Amy breathed. "That would bring everything back?"

"A restoration field, powered by an exploding TARDIS, happening at every moment in history..." River said slowly. "Oh, that's brilliant. It might even work!"

She made to pull out a scanner, but Jenny put a hand on her arm.

"Don't," she said quietly. "To get the Pandorica up to the TARDIS someone would need to fly it in. He's already wired himself in."

As the sky above them turned a brilliant orange, Rory and Amy retreated to give River and Jenny some space. They didn't say very much, just say there by the Doctor in silence, offering what little they could through unspoken words.

"I'm going with him." Jenny broke the silence, although for a moment both River and the Doctor thought they'd misheard her.

"Jen..." her father breathed. "No..."

"Listen to your father," River whispered. "Please, if he flies into that explosion he'll be trapped on the other side of the cracks, and he won't have existed. I'm losing him, don't make me lose you, too."

"But if he never existed, then what am I?" Jenny scoffed, trying to laugh but choking back a sob. "I'm a thought, an idea, I never happened. No Doctor on Messaline, no DNA for the progenation machines, no Jenny. I'm sorry, River."

Unexpectedly, Jenny found herself pulled into a hug, River's blonde curls tickling at her face. "You're a brave girl, Jen."

She pulled back, saying she was going to go get Amy, and Jenny settled herself so she was sitting in her father's lap, holding his hand, waiting for the box to snap shut and seal their fate.

A moment later, Amy walked up to the box, trying not to cry. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Amy Pond," the Doctor breathed weakly. "The girl who waited... all night, in your garden... was it worth it?"

"Shut up," she mumbled. "Course it was."

"You wanted to know why we were taking you with us, and we said there wasn't a reason," Jenny continued, looking over at her friend. "We lied." Amy tried to cut in, but Jenny held up a hand. "Don't you dare say it's not important, because it's the most important thing in the universe. Amy, your house was too big. That big, empty house, with just you?"

"Where were your mum and dad?" the Doctor asked weakly. "Where was... everybody who lived in that big house?"

"I lost my mum and dad," Amy began.

"How?" Jenny questioned. "What happened to them, Amy, where did they go?"

"I... I don't..." She shook her head rapidly before looking up in desperation. "I don't even remember."

"There was a crack in time in the wall of your bedroom and it's been eating away at your life for a long time now," the Doctor sighed. "Amy Pond, all alone... the girl who didn't make sense. How could we resist?"

"But how could I forget?"

"Nothing is ever forgotten, not really." Jenny smiled. "But you need to try."

"There's going to be... a very big bang. Big Bang Two. Remember your family, and they'll be there."

Amy shook her head again, looking at the Doctor. "How can I remember them if they've never existed?"

"Because... you're special." He managed a weak smile. "That crack in your wall, all that time, the universe pouring into your head. You bought Rory back... you can bring them back too, you just remember..."

Amy started to back away as the ground around the Pandorica began to shake. "_You _won't. Either of you."

"You'll have your family back," Jenny whispered. "You won't need your imaginary friend and his imaginary daughter anymore."

The Doctor laughed weakly. "Amelia Pond... crying over little old us, hm? Guess what?"

"What?" Amy choked out.

"Gotcha."

With those last words, the Pandorica sealed itself shut and launched upwards through the glass ceiling towards the sun.

Back in the museum, River got one last message on her communicator before the world went to white.

"What's it say?" Amy asked her.

"Geronimo."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Inside the TARDIS, behind the console and facing away from the doors, both Jenny and the Doctor sat bolt upright with a gasp.

"Okay," Jenny said faintly.

"We escaped, then," her father replied in the same tone. "Brilliant! Love it when I do that. Legs?"

"Yes," she agreed. "Arms, head."

"Bowtie," he added, straightening the cloth around his neck. "I can buy a fez."

They started to get up, only to hear themselves talking to Amy.

"The beach!" the other Doctor was saying. "The beach is the best. Automatic sand."

"Automatic sand?" Amy repeated. "What does that mean?"

"It's automated!" Jenny replied.

The two present Time Lords walked around the console to see themselves, along with Amy, dressed up for a trip to the beach.

"Cleans up the lolly sticks..."

"Well that puts a bit of a damper on things," Jenny said quietly, looking at her past self laughing hysterically over something the past Doctor had said.

"Our timestreams... unraveling. We're rewinding, Jen. Closing. Hello, universe, goodbye, Doctor. Goodbye Jenny." On impulse, he started to call out for Amy, but they found themselves being swept away before they could say anything more.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Then they found themselves on the street just outside the flat Jenny had stayed in with Craig. Amy wandered across the street in front of them towards a shop window.

"Three weeks ago," Jenny mused. "When Amy put the card in the window. Hey, Amy!"

Past Amy looked up, but couldn't see them and dismissed the call as part of her imagination.

Behind them, a crack in the pavement grew wider, and they vanished yet another time.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

And now they were in the clearing in the Byzantium forest, hearing themselves leave with River and Father Octavian.

Slowly, they both walked forwards, each of them taking one of Amy's hands in theirs.

"Amy, you need to start trusting us," Jenny told her. "It's never been more important."

"But you don't always tell me the truth," Amy replied, frowning. Her eyes were still shut to prevent the Angel from taking over her mind.

"Well, if we always told you the truth you wouldn't need to trust us, hm?" the Doctor replied. "Now, Amy, listen to me. Remember what I told you when you were seven?"

Amy shook her head. "What did you tell me."

Jenny glanced over at her father. "No, no... That's not the point, you have to _remember_."

And then they were gone, being swept off through time's currents yet again.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They stood in the hallway of a large house near the stairwell, and it didn't take a second for them to realize they were in Amy's house. The Doctor pulled Jenny closer to him, mostly for comfort, and partly because while he felt his timeline unraveling, by now half of his daughter's life had vanished.

"Come on, Jen," he said quietly. "This is Amy's house. When she was seven, the night she waited..."

Together they got the little girl inside and tucked her in, sliding her suitcase underneath the bed and taking off her shoes and coat before making sure she was snug underneath the blankets. Jenny sat down on the edge of the bed and the Doctor took a seat in the chair, shaking his head sadly.

"It's funny," he said after a pause. "I thought if you could hear me, hear us, we could hang on somehow. Silly me. Silly old Doctor."

Jenny managed a watery smile, leaning over to cover Amelia's tiny hand with her own. "Silly can be good though, I think we all know that. When you wake up, you'll have a mum and dad, Amelia... and you won't even remember us."

The Doctor stood up to place his hands on Jenny's shoulders offering what reassurance he could. "Well, you'll remember us a little. We'll be a story inside your head, but that's okay... we're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?" He did his best to smile. "Cause it was, you know. It was the _best_. A daft old man who stole a box and ran away."

"Did we ever tell you that he stole it?" Jenny asked. "He didn't tell me, you know. It was nearly two years before I figured that out."

"Well, I borrowed it," the Doctor corrected, defending himself. "I was going to take it back. Oh, that box, Amy... you'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you, never. Big and little, at the same time. Brand new and ancient."

"And the _bluest blue __**ever**__,_" Jenny finished firmly, thinking of the vibrant blue paneling that surrounded the place she called home.

"And the times we had, eh?" the Doctor shook his head. "Would've had... never had... In your dreams, they'll still be there, though. The Doctor and Jenny and Amy Pond. And the days that never came."

"The cracks are closing," Jenny said, her voice breaking. "But they can't close properly until we're on the other side. We don't belong here anymore."

The Doctor pulled her to her feet, squeezing her hand lightly. "I think we'll skip the rest of the rewind. You know I hate repeats. Live well. Love Rory."

They both pressed a kiss to Amelia's forehead, then, hand in hand, stepped through the crack in the wall behind them.

And high above, the stars twinkled in the heavens.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The wedding had gone over magnificently, and the reception was moving along just as planned. All the guests had been able to make it, the weather was glorious, the best man had just finished up his speech to a round of applause...

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced. "The father of the bride, Augustus Pond!"

Augustus got to his feet, looking around sheepishly. "Sorry, everyone," he said. "I'll be another two minutes. I'm just reviewing certain... aspects..."

He sat back down, much to everyone's amusement, and Amy's mother Tabetha leaned over towards her daughter. "Your father, Amelia, will be the absolute death of me!" she whispered with a smile. "Unless, of course, I strike preemptively."

Amy laughed, but her smile faded as she looked out the window, seeing a woman walk past. She was dressed in black, and her hair was a sandy curly and the curliest she'd ever seen. Amy stood up to get a better look at her, but the woman was gone.

"Amy?" Rory asked, glancing up. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she said after a moment. "I'm fine. I'm..." she sat down. "I'm fine."

"Right." Her husband nodded, somewhat awkwardly. "Um... you're crying."

Amy's hand flew to her face, and her fingertips came away damp. "So I am. Why am I doing that?"

"Because you're happy? Probably. Happy Mrs Rory? Happy, happy, happy."

"No." She shook her head slowly. "I'm sad. I'm really, _really _sad."

He looked away, a bit hurt. "Great."

"Why am I sad...?" She looked down to see a blue journal resting on the table. "What's that?"

"Oh, er, someone left it for you." He picked up the book and handed it to her. "A woman, I think?"

"But what is it?"

"...It's a book."

She turned the journal over in her hands a few times before flipping through the pages. "It's blank."

Of course it was blank, it was a wedding present, it wouldn't already be written in. Why did she feel like it should already be written in?

"It's a present," Rory said, echoing her thoughts.

"But why?"

Rory looked at the blue cover, shrugging. "Well, you know the old saying," he shrugged. "The old... wedding... thing. Hm? Amy?"

Augustus stood up and started to talk again, but Amy wasn't paying attention. She was looking around the room in confusion, watching the guests... there was an older man wearing a bowtie, and someone else adjusting their braces, and a woman in green with her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail... A tear fell down her cheek and splashed against the journal's cover.

"Shut up, Dad!" she said, standing up abruptly.

Augustus looked over in confusion. "Amelia...?"

"Sorry, but shut up, please!" she begged, looking around almost frantically. "There's people missing. Two people, important people... people so, _so _important."

Rory reached up to touch her arm. "Amy, what's wrong?"

"Sorry," she muttered. "Sorry, everyone! But when I was a kid, I had an imaginary friend."

The guests started to murmur, and her mother mumbled under her breath. "Oh, no, not this again..."

"The raggedy Doctor and his daughter. My raggedy Doctor. But he wasn't imaginary. He was _real_."

The murmuring grew louder.

"I remember you!" she shouted to the room, slamming her hands onto the table. "I remember! I brought the others back, and I can bring you home too. Raggedy man, impossible girl, I remember you, and you are _late for my wedding!"_

For a single, painful moment, there was silence, but then the glasses started to rattle. Above them, the chandelier in the room began to sway.

"I found you," she continued. "I found you in words, like you knew I would. That's why you told me the story... the brand new, _ancient _blue box. Oh, clever! Very clever."

A wind began to blow through the room despite the fact that no windows were open, and then, as though from a great distance, the sound of grinding engines began to echo.

"Amy, what is it?" Rory asked, staring in confusion.

"Something old," she told him. "Something new. Something borrowed. Something _blue_."

And in the center of the floor, a bright blue phone box began to appear.

"It's the Doctor and Jenny!" Rory exclaimed, standing up, completely stunned. "How did we forget the Doctor and Jenny?"

As the TARDIS solidified, Amy climbed up over the table and walked towards it. Rory was still talking to himself in the background.

"I was plastic," he was staying. "He was the stripper at my stag. Long story..."

Amy rapped lightly on the TARDIS doors. "Okay, Doctor, Jenny," she said through the wood. "Did I surprise you this time?"

A moment later the doors opened and the Doctor looked down at her, wearing a top hat along with a black suit and a white tie. A somewhat short white scarf was loosely draped over his shoulders.

"Er, yeah," he said at a nudge from Jenny, who was standing next to him wearing a dress the same color as the TARDIS that seemed to glimmer golden when it caught the light. "Completely astonished. Never expected that."

"Very lucky that we were wearing these old things," Jenny agreed, although her eyes were sparkling with mirth.

"Hello, everyone!" The two Time Lords stepped out into the room, much to the astonishment of the guests. "I'm Amy's imaginary friend, this is my imaginary daughter, but we came anyway." He leaned over, shook Augustus' hand, and wandered back towards Amy and Rory.

"Amelia!" he laughed. "And the brand-new Mister Pond!"

Jenny was grinning from ear to ear as she pulled Rory into a quick hug. Rory, however, looked rather bemused by everything.

"No, I'm not Mister Pond," he tried to tell the Doctor. "That's not how it works."

"Yeah, it is," came the prompt reply.

Rory looked at Jenny, who could only shrug helplessly. "...Yeah, it is."

"Right then, everyone!" The two stepped back into the TARDIS. "We'll just move our box. You're going to need the space."

"He only came for the dancing," Jenny murmured to the newlyweds. "I'll try and make sure he doesn't scare anyone, but no promises."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor was doing some ridiculous dance to Queen's 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'. Amy was doubled over laughing while Jenny had borrowed Rory to actually dance normally to the song.

"You're terrible!" the bride called, laughing. "This is embarrassing!"

It didn't stop him from teaching the dance to all of the children, waving his arms up in the air over his head.

"That's it!" he told them, grinning. "That's good, keep it loose!"

Rory went to sit by Amy, laughing, and Jenny finally gave in and went to join her father's side in teaching the children how to "dance".

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Now it was a slow song playing, Amy and Rory swaying together in the middle of the floor. The Doctor was leaning against the doorway, Jenny standing next to him.

"Two thousand years," she sighed. "The boy who waited." They shared a smile. "Good on you, mate."

Together, they turned and walked out of the house and back to the TARDIS, familiar blue shape a comfort to them. The Doctor was just about to put his key in the lock when they heard a voice behind them.

"Did you dance?" River asked, and they turned to face her. "Well, you always dance at weddings, don't you?" A smile graced her features. "Even if Jen is the only one that can dance properly."

"Oi!" The Doctor laughed. "But you tell me."

Her smile grew wider. "Spoilers, dear."

He returned the smile and handed back her journal. "The writing's all there, but I didn't peek," he told her.

"Thank you."

Jenny handed her the Vortex Manipulator, and then the Doctor spoke. "Are you married, River?" he asked.

"Are you asking?" she replied as she strapped the device around her wrist.

"Yes."

Jenny raised an eyebrow, and River looked up. "Yes?"

It took a moment for him to register what he just said. "No, hang on- did you think I was asking you to marry me, o- o- or asking if you were married?"

"Yes."

"No, but was that _yes_, or _yes_." He shook his head a couple times; he'd just confused himself.

She smiled and leaned forwards. "_Yes_."

He sighed, looking at the woman in front of him. "River... who are you?"

"You're going to find out very soon, now," she replied, almost sadly. "Now, Jenny dear, come with me for a moment, would you?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They reappeared moments later in River's cell in Stormcage, where River proceed to remove the teleport from around her wrist and handed it back to Jenn.

"This is for you," she said after a pause. "I know a place where I can get another one, I won't miss it."

Jenny stared at the device in her hand. "But why? I don't even know you, River."

"But I know _you_, Jen," the older woman replied. "Take it."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

She reappeared in front of her father, who just looked at her.

"She gave it back to me?" The statement was phrased more like a question. "Don't know why..."

"A question for another day daughter mine," he replied, shrugging, and opened the TARDIS doors. "Come on, then!"

Inside, under the familiar copper glow, they had just barely reached the console when the doors opened behind them and Amy walked in.

"Oi!" she called up to them. "Where are you two off to?"

"Amy!" Rory hurried in after her.

"Shut up... it's my wedding."

"_Our_ wedding!"

"Sorry," the Doctor apologized. "Shouldn't have slipped away, but... bit busy, you know?"

Rory shook his head, walking up to join them. "You just saved the whole of space and time," he told them. "Both of you. Take the evening off. Maybe a bit of tomorrow!"

_You know, a vacation does sound appealing. _

_Jen, do you remember what happened the last time we tried to take a vacation and had that party in Elizabethan England?_

_...No?_

_JACK happened, that's what._

_So we don't invite Jack this time._

"Space and time isn't safe yet," she said allowed, tabling their mental conversation for later. "The TARDIS exploded for a reason. Something drew her to this particular date and blew it up. Why? Why now? The silence, whatever it is, is still out there, and we need to..."

The Doctor shook his head, glaring at the phone which had been ringing for some time now. "Hold that thought, Jen."

He wandered over and plucked the phone off its receiver. "Hello," he said. "Oh! Hello. I'm sorry, this is a very bad time..." Pause, and his expression darkened. "No, but that's not possible. She was sealed into the Seventh Obelisk. I was at the prayer meeting, Jenny was the one that actually trapped her... well, no, I get that it's important!" Amy and Rory shared a bemused look. "An Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express..." he caught Jenny's eye and grinned, "in space! Give us a mo."

He covered the mouthpiece with his hand and looked to the Ponds. "Sorry," he said again. "Something's come up... this will have to be goodbye."

Jenny glanced down sadly. Sure, she knew humans wouldn't stay with them forever, but it still hurt when they had to go-

"Yeah, I think it's goodbye," Amy agreed, but something in her voice made Jenny look back up. "Do you think it's goodbye?"

Rory nodded in confirmation. "Definitely goodbye."

Nodding, Amy ran back towards the TARDIS doors, opened them and waved out. "Goodbye!" she shouted, then looked around, almost sadly. "Goodbye."

The two Time Lords grinned as she came back in, and the Doctor spoke into the phone.

"Don't worry about a thing, Your Majesty!" he announced. "We're on our way!"


End file.
